Heat Wave
by RkieFan
Summary: A Rookies story set in 1979, Mike has been promoted to detective and is handed a case involving a dead toddler, and a possibly demented woman who believes in the impossible,
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: I don't own 'The Rookies' and I never will.**

**Title: **Heat Wave

**Summary: Mike gets promoted to detective and is assigned a new partner. His first case involves a dead toddler found in a chest freezer.**

**A/N: This story is set after the end of the series. Unlike almost all of my other stories, this one doesn't focus primarily on Mike and Jill Danko, but on Willie Gillis and his wife, Jennifer.**

**This is also the first in a trifecta of stories that introduces Mike's new partner, Lt. Steve Brinker. Lt. Brinker is a man of many quirks.**

**There will be a reference to Faye Kellerman's 'Decker/Lazarus' series later in this chapter.**

Chapter 1 – Oppressive Heat and the New Detective

It was an oppressively hot April afternoon. Jill Danko had tried driving home with the air conditioner running in her vintage 1970 Camaro, but the temperature gauge on the thermostat quickly shot in the red zone, so she shut off the air and rolled down her windows. She wasn't in the mood to overheat in the middle of the 405, especially when she had precious cargo in the car with her.

She glanced in the rearview mirror at her 21-month-old daughter, Mary Kathryn, who was happily singing to the baby doll on her lap. The heat didn't seem to bother Mary Kathryn at all, while her mother felt as if she was going to wilt away. It'd been like this for days now, and there didn't seem to be any relief in sight. Jill cringed at the thought of what August was going to be like if it was already this hot in April.

She relished the thought of a cool shower and a tall glass of iced tea as she exited the freeway and headed for home. She hoped that Mike was home so he could keep an eye on Mary Kathryn for half an hour. Or, she hoped he could take a break from his endless studying.

Mike was studying for the upcoming detective's exam, and to say he was grouchy would be something of an understatement. When he wasn't on duty, he had his books spread out on their dining room table, barking at Jill to please do something with Mary Kate so he could study. He didn't have time for friends anymore, it seemed to Jill. When the guys did come over, which was less and less often of late, all he could do was talk about the upcoming test. Would he pass? What if they asked him something he didn't know? Both Terry and Willie had commented to Jill that they were sick of it. She told them she didn't blame them. After all, she was the one who had to live with him.

Willie Gillis and his wife Jennifer had come back home to Southern California several months before and Willie had teamed up again with his former partner, much to Terry Webster's delight, especially after the departure of his other partner Chris Owens almost a year before. Jill found herself liking Jennifer very much and adored Thomas, Willie and Jen's three-year-old son. The little boy with the mop of dark brown curls was the image of his father and he got along great with Mary Kathryn. Lately Jennifer hadn't been herself and Jill kept meaning to go over and see what was going on. Maybe she could take Mary Kathryn over later and let her grouchy husband study in peace and quiet.

She pulled into the driveway and heaved a sigh of relief as she shut off the engine. It was so good to be home. She loved the house they'd bought shortly after Mary Kathryn's birth and she loved her neighbors. Terry lived across the street while Willie and Jen lived three houses down. It was almost like the apartment. She got up and removed Mary Kathryn from the backseat before closing the car door. It was then that she saw the huge dog come trotting up. She almost groaned aloud as Mary Kathryn hopped up and down with excitement. "Charlie!" She cried out happily as the large black Labrador Retriever began licking her face.

"Sorry about that, Miz Danko," an older man ran into the driveway and grabbed Charlie by his collar. "I tried to stop him, but you know how Charlie loves the kids."

"It's okay, Mr. Simpson," Jill said in a tight voice as she lifted Mary Kathryn into her arms, at the little girl began struggling in protest. "It's just that he's bigger than she is."

"Oh, but he'd never hurt her," the old man assured her. "He'd probably even protect her if it ever came to that. Come on, Charlie. Let's go home."

"Charlie!" Mary Kathryn cried as Jill walked up the walkway to the front door and unlocked it before setting her daughter down on the floor. "Charlie!"

"You can play with Charlie later," Jill told her. "Go see if daddy's home."

Mike was sitting at the dining room table with a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose when Mary Kate came charging into the room. "Daddy!" She called out in glee as he smiled and scooped her into his arms.

"Hi, pumpkin," he planted kisses on her face as Jill walked in, looking wilted from the heat. "Hi, babe," he got up and kissed her.

"Mike, can you please talk to Mr. Simpson again about that dog?" She begged as she walked over to the refrigerator and removed a pitcher of tea. "I'm afraid that he's going to knock her down the way he just charges up to her."

"Jill, Labs are the gentlest dogs there are, especially around kids. Charlie would never hurt her. But, I'll talk to Mr. Simpson," he conceded when he saw the look on her face.

"Thank you. Can you watch Mary Kathryn for 20 minutes or so while I take a shower?"

"Yeah, I need a break, anyway," he decided as he got up. "Come on, Mary Kate. Let's go play on the swings."

Jill went upstairs and into their master bedroom, removing a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt before going into the bathroom and turning on the shower. She stripped and got under the water, instantly feeling her body temperature lower. Lately, they'd been debating the issue of putting in a pool. The drawbacks were not only Mary Kathryn, but the neighborhood children, as well. The neighborhood was filled with children of all ages and all of them seemed to love Mike. Jill worried about the possibility of lawsuits if one of these children were to get into their backyard and drown in a pool. The very thought gave her nightmares. So, they'd both come to the conclusion that a swing set and a small wading pool would have to suffice for the time being.

When she went out on the back patio almost half an hour later, Mike was pushing Mary Kathryn on one of the swings. The swing set was a work of art, handmade by Eddie Ryker and Mike. It had every conceivable piece of gym equipment that a child could possibly want. Swings, a slide, a trapeze bar and what looked like a fort. Thomas and Mary Kathryn loved it and would play on it happily for hours at a time.

She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist as he continued to push Mary Kate on the swing. "Thank you," she whispered as she kissed his neck.

"I know I'm an ogre, but it'll be over soon," he smiled as he stopped the swing.

"I'm keeping that in mind. What do you want for dinner?"

"I got some chops out to grill if you want to invite the guys over. I thought I'd throw some corn on the cob and potatoes on, as well. We can eat out here," he suggested as Jill made a face. "Or, we can eat inside."

"I like that idea better. I'll go call the guys," she said as she watched Mike remove Mary Kathryn from the swing. She walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing Willie's number first. Jen answered on the second ring. "Jen, it's Jill. Mike was going to throw some chops on the barbecue and was wondering if you guys wanted to come over."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jen replied hesitantly after a few seconds.

"Jen, is something wrong? Did I call at a bad time?"

"No, everything's okay. I guess I'm just tired. We'll be over in 45 minutes or so," Jen said as she ended the call.

Jill didn't have time to think about what was going on with her friend as she dialed Terry's number. Luckily, Terry was agreeable to the idea of a barbecue, as well. "Just do me a favor," he told her. "Tell Mike that if he says one word about that test, I'm going to shove a beer bottle down his throat."

"Okay," Jill laughed as she hung up the phone and relayed Terry's message to Mike.

"My God, am I that bad?" He asked as he looked at his wife.

"Yes," she answered back as she went to the refrigerator to take out vegetables for a salad.

***MJMJMJ***

Over at the Gillis', Jennifer Gillis bit back a wave of nausea as she listened to her young son playing upstairs. While she normally wouldn't mind an evening at Mike and Jill's, right now all she felt like doing was going to bed and sleeping for a week. But, of course she couldn't do that when she had Thomas to look after. She knew what the nausea probably meant and the thought troubled her. She wasn't sure she was ready for another baby.

When William had come back to Ohio in the spring of 1974 to care for his dying father, Jennifer had been busy teaching kindergarten and first graders. She'd known William since they'd been in school together. Her best friend had been his girlfriend since high school, but they had broken up more than a year before William's return and Nancy would never tell her the reason why. Just that it had something to do with William being a police officer. Jennifer had started dating him after running into him at a 4th of July barbecue. Things had moved pretty quickly after that. Marriage hadn't even been in the picture until she'd discovered in late January of 1975 that she was pregnant. They got married in April and Thomas was born in October. Now going on four years old, Jennifer and William loved him dearly, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to go through this again.

Her pregnancy had been a nightmare. She had morning sickness day and night for four months, and then she gained a monstrous amount of weight and finally, the icing on the cake was a labor that lasted more than 40 hours. By the time she finally delivered Thomas, she was screaming for somebody to just kill her. After he was finally born, she'd discovered the reasons for her nightmare labor and delivery. Thomas was huge, weighing almost nine pounds and she learned that his head had been crosswise in the birth canal rather than coming straight down. She told William that she didn't care about the reasons, all she knew was she was never doing that again. The only good thing was at least William's father got to see his namesake grandson before he died. He passed away a month after Thomas' birth.

Since Thomas' birth, Jen had been diligent about birth control, but she knew that nothing was 100 percent. She knew that if she were indeed pregnant, she'd just have to learn to live with it because abortion was out of the question. She could never do that to William.

***MJMJMJ***

Later that evening, everybody sat around Mike and Jill's huge dining room table, laughing and swapping stories. The party began breaking up when the kids started getting whiny and cranky. "I'm going to put her to bed," Jill announced as she picked up Mary Kathryn and left the room.

"I guess we should head home too," Willie said reluctantly as he watched his son clinging to his mother.

"Take him," Jen said as she handed Thomas over to William. "I have to ask Jill about something. I'll be right back."

Jill was changing Mary Kathryn into her pajamas when Jen came into the bedroom. "I was coming right back. I think she can skip story time for one night."

"I need to ask you something," Jen began hesitantly as Jill moved Mary Kathryn over to her crib and lowered her into it. "I haven't been here long enough to get the best doctors, except for Thomas' pediatrician, so I was wondering if you could give me the number of your OB/GYN."

"Yeah, although I had to switch recently. The doctor who delivered Mary Kathryn retired not too long ago. But, my new doctor is wonderful and best of all, it's a woman," Jill smiled. "Can I ask you a question? Do you think . . . ?"

"That I'm pregnant?" Jen asked as Jill nodded. "I don't know, but I'm beginning to think so. Do you and Mike talk about having another baby?"

"Sometimes, but I told him that I want to wait at least until I can get her out of diapers and talking so that we can understand her," she smiled as they walked out of the bedroom and she pulled the door closed behind her. "How do you feel about the possibility?"

"I don't know," Jen admitted honestly. "I know that I should be thrilled, but then I remember everything about being pregnant with Thomas, and . . . " she shuddered at the memory. "Please don't say anything to Mike until I know."

"I won't," Jill promised as they went downstairs and rejoined the men. "I'll get you Dr. Harris' number."

Mike was lying in bed later waiting for Jill to come out of the bathroom. "Babe, I was thinking," he called out when the bathroom door opened.

"About what?"

"Well, Mary Kate's birthday is coming up in a few months, and I was thinking about maybe throwing her a party," he looked toward the door as Jill stuck her head out and glared at him. "What's wrong with giving our kid a birthday party?"

"Do you remember her first birthday party? You have to because I know that you were there. It was courtesy of your parent's. It was a traditional Italian birthday party with every conceivable relative known to your family. There must've been 100 people at that party. I didn't know a third of those people. I'm betting that you didn't know a third of those people. Mary Kathryn was cranky and overwhelmed by all of the attention. No, we're not doing that again," she said as she began to brush her teeth.

"I don't want to do that again, either," he told her. "I was just thinking of us and the guys. We can ask Eddie if we can have it at the cottage. Just a small party with cake, ice cream, and maybe a piñata."

"Hotdogs and hamburgers?" She mumbled with a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Exactly."

"I'll think about it," she rinsed her mouth and came to bed. "You know we're going to have to at least invite your parents."

"My parents only, not the rest of the family," he told her as he kissed her.

"I thought that she was going to need therapy about her first birthday. Hell, I thought that I was going to need therapy after that party," she sighed.

"Hey, at least you didn't get stuck with the cleanup," he smiled as she rolled her eyes.

***MJMJMJ***

Saturday morning, Mike arrived at the police academy at eight o'clock sharp to take the test for detective. He was surprised at how many officers had shown up for the test. He took a deep breath as he took his seat for the eight-hour long test. When he turned in his papers along with everyone else at the end of the day he found himself second guessing many of his answers. 'Oh, well,' he thought to himself. 'There's not anything I can do about it now.'

Back at home, Jill had been fielding phone calls all afternoon from everybody wanting to know if Mike was home yet. She told everybody no, but she'd have him call the moment he arrived. Moments after she'd hung up for the last time, she heard the garage door raising. Mike entered the kitchen moments later. "Hi," she greeted him as she got up and kissed him. "You're very popular today. Everybody and their brother has been calling wanting to know if you've gotten home, yet. So, how was it?"

"Hard," he replied as he walked over and got a beer from the refrigerator. "Where's Mary Kate?"

"Amanda called this morning and offered to take her for the day. I think she said something about taking her and Tori to the water park."

He nodded as he took a long swallow of his beer. "What time is she bringing her back?"

"I don't know. In an hour or so, I guess. She asked me if I'd have a problem with Tori maybe baby-sitting for us when school lets out this summer. I told her that I'd have to talk to you," she said as she walked over and took a soda from the refrigerator and popped it opened.

"I don't know, babe. Tori's only 12 years old. Mary Kate's a lot of kid for an adult. If she were a couple of years older, I'd probably say yes."

"That's exactly what I told Amanda, but I did promise both of them that I'd talk to you. Don't worry about it. The current arrangements are working out fine," she said as she walked over to him and kissed him once again. "Go relax and I'll fix you some dinner. You must be starving."

While Jill fixed dinner, Mike tried to relax in between phone calls. Yes, the test was hard. No, he didn't know when he'd learn how he did. It was the same questions over and over. By the time the doorbell rang at close to seven o'clock, he was happy for the reprieve. He opened the front door to find Jill's sister Amanda standing there with her 12-year-old daughter Tori. "There's my girl!" Mike smiled happily as he took the baby from Amanda and smothered her tiny face with kisses. "Come on in," he beckoned to them as he stepped away from the door.

"We can't stay. I told Paul that I wouldn't be long. Here's her bag and tell Jill that she's already had dinner," Amanda handed the diaper bag to Mike.

"Uncle Mike, did Aunt Jill talk to you about letting me baby-sit this summer?" Tori asked anxiously.

"Tori, if you were just a couple of years older, my answer would probably be yes. But, Mary Kate's a handful even for her mother and me. She's at the age where she's into everything. Maybe next summer we can talk about it again," he told her as Tori cast her eyes down. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. We'll talk to you later, Mike," Amanda smiled as she put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Tell Jill that I'll call her later."

"Okay," Mike said as they left and he closed the door before looking at his small daughter, who looked a little sunburned, but none the worse for wear after her day at the water park. "Did you go swimming today?"

"Water," the little girl announced as her blue-green eyes opened wide. "Big water, daddy."

"I thought I heard the door," Jill said as she came into the room. "Dinner's going to be ready soon. Amanda said she'd give her dinner before dropping her off, so why don't you take her upstairs and give her a bath and put her to bed. That way we can eat in peace and quiet."

Mary Kate was so exhausted from her day with her aunt and cousin that Mike didn't have to fight to get her out of the tub after bathing her. He wrapped her in a bath towel and carried her into her bedroom, where he dressed her in a diaper and a cotton gown before settling down in the white rocker with her and a storybook. She didn't even make it through two pages before he felt her body sag heavily against him. He picked her up and gently laid her in her crib, covering her with her favorite blanket and placing her favorite baby doll at her side before leaving the room and pulling the door partially closed behind him.

"We should send her out for the day more often," he smiled as he walked into the dining room where Jill was setting the table. "I think she went to sleep in record time."

"You covered her with the right blanket and put the right doll beside her, didn't you?" Jill looked at him as he nodded. "So, when will you find out about the test?"

"I don't know," he said as he sat down at the table. "I don't know if I'll receive the results in the mail or if Older will get them and let me know. The instructor said it'll take four to six weeks. So, we just wait and see."

"If you get the promotion, will there be another ceremony like there was when you were promoted to Sergeant?" She asked as Mike nodded and filled his salad bowl. "If you get the promotion, where will you start?"

"Wherever they need me, I guess. But, let's not put the cart in front of the horse. I have to find out if I passed first," he reminded her as she nodded.

***MJMJMJ***

Over at the Gillis', Jennifer was at her wits end with her small son. It seemed to have been one of those days where Thomas was bouncing off of the walls. Normally, on days like these she'd take him over to the Danko's and let him play with Mary Kate while she visited with Jill. But, Jill had told her that morning that Mary Kate had gone out for the day with her aunt and wasn't due back until that evening. So, while William worked, Jen felt as if she were stuck with Thomas, who seemed to be going out of his way to drive her crazy. The situation didn't improve after William got home from work. Jen had been hoping that he'd take Thomas out in the backyard and burn off some of that energy, but he was hot and grumpy after a long day of patrol. This didn't stop Thomas from climbing all over his father as he tried to relax on the sofa. "Jennifer, would you please do something with him?" William begged as he removed Thomas from his lap for the 20th time.

"Come on, Thomas," Jen urged her son. "Daddy's tired."

"But, I want to play trains," the little boy insisted as he looked at his mother with the same huge brown eyes as his father.

"Maybe daddy will play after dinner," she mollified him as he reluctantly went upstairs to his room. After he was out of earshot, she looked at her husband. "I need to talk to you."

"What'd he do now?" William asked with his eyes closed. "Whatever it is, will you please keep in mind that he's only three years old?"

"It's not about Thomas," she said through clenched teeth. "You know what? Never mind."

She got up off of the sofa and stomped out of the room. William sighed as he opened his eyes. Why did there have to be drama tonight? Didn't she realize that he was hot and tired? Maybe she should be fighting crime in 100+ weather instead of staying home in a nice cool house all day. He remembered asking Mike one day how he made it look so easy when he dealt with Jill. His best friend and his wife never fought. Even after all of these years, Jill was still thrilled when Mike came home from work at night. There were times when he wasn't even sure if Jen even _liked _him. He pulled his 6'2" frame off of the sofa and went to see what was wrong. Jen was furiously peeling potatoes when he came into the kitchen. "I'm sorry. What did you want to talk about?" He asked as he leaned against the counter.

"William, I need help," she said in a low voice as she continued peeling potatoes. "I don't mind being a full time mom. And, I know that you're tired when you come home from work, but don't you think that you could take Thomas off of my hands for an hour or two so that I can catch my breath?"

"I'm sorry. I know that he's rough and tumble, but so was I. I'm sorry that you've had a rough day with him. I apologize for not helping more," he kissed her on the forehead as she made a face. "Is there more?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm pregnant," she blurted out as she looked at him.

His face lit up in a huge smile as he pulled her close and hugged her. "Sweetie, that's terrific! When are we due?"

"Is this the same collective 'we' that got pregnant with Thomas?" She asked in a fury-choked voice. "I don't think so. William, what if it's a repeat performance of what happened with him?"

"It won't be," he promised her. "Everybody told us that Thomas would take a long time because he was our first baby. Why don't you try talking to Jill? She could tell you more than I can."

"Great! More of the Gospel According to Jill," she sighed as she walked over to the refrigerator.

"What's that supposed to mean? I thought that you and Jill got along great," he pointed out as she walked back over to the counter.

"It doesn't mean anything," she said. "Why don't you go play with Thomas while I finish with dinner?"

As he left the kitchen and headed for the stairs, he thought about being a father for the second time. In his mind, Thomas was a great kid and a brother or sister for him was just icing on the cake. He knew most of Jen's fears stemmed from her mother. Her mother had told the both of them over and over about how she'd nearly died when Jen was born. Jen had heard the stories so often growing up that when she'd learned that she was pregnant with Thomas, she was absolutely petrified with fear. Then, the morning sickness and the huge weight gain had arrived, both of which were perfectly normal, but Jen's mother had her convinced that she was going to die in childbirth. A more than 40-hour labor did little to dispel that notion. William had become so furious that he'd literally kicked his mother-in-law out of Jen's room while she was in labor. All she'd succeeded in doing was to make Jen as hysterical as she was. Maybe it was a good thing that she could give birth to their second and hopefully, subsequent children, here in California. Maybe he could talk to Jill and have her convince Jen that everything was going to be just fine.

***MJMJMJ***

Jill opened her eyes early the next morning when she felt the bed dip under Mike's weight. "Where are you going?" She mumbled sleepily as she reached for him.

"I'm going to go mow the yard while it's still cool," he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

She groaned as she threw the sheet over her head. How was he going to expect her to go back to sleep with the sound of the lawn mower in her head? The grass was barely a couple of inches high, but Mike was meticulous about how the yard was kept. Thus they had one of the nicest yards in the neighborhood, much to the chagrin of some of their neighbors who'd lived on the block for years. But, Mike was well liked by most of them, mainly because by his moving in and later bringing in Terry and later Willie, he'd made the neighborhood a safer place. There hadn't been so much as a broken window since they'd moved into the house more than a year before.

Mike got dressed and went downstairs and into the garage, where he raised the door before rolling out the lawn mower. It was a beautiful cool morning, but he knew that it wouldn't stay cool for long. This weather was perfect for spending time in the mountains. He thought about taking some time off and taking the girls either to Mount Shasta or to Lake Mead for a few days. Anywhere where it was cooler than it was here. He reached down and pulled the cord on the mower as he began to mow the grass. He was halfway through when he spotted Mr. Simpson walking up the street with Charlie by his side. He shut off the mower as the old man entered the yard and Charlie ran up to him. "Good morning, Mr. Simpson," Mike greeted his neighbor as he ruffled the dog's neck.

"It's going to be another hot one," the old man observed as Mike nodded. "I wanted to apologize to your wife. I think Charlie scared her a few days ago when she came home from work."

"I told her not to worry. Charlie's a great dog and the kids all love him."

"That's why I'm here. My female is in season and we're going to breed her to Charlie. I was wondering if you'd be interested in one of the puppies when they're born. I'll even offer you pick of the litter."

"Pick of the litter is very generous," Mike smiled. "But, if it turns out to be as great a dog as Charlie, I don't see how I could refuse. But, let me talk to my wife and see what she says. Can I let you know if in a few days?"

"Oh, there's no rush. We haven't even put them together yet. You know where I am if you want to talk. Come on, Charlie," Mr. Simpson called to the dog as Charlie left Mike's side and ran up to his owner.

Mike had just re-started the lawn mower when Willie came walking up. Once again, Mike turned off the mower. "You're up early," he observed as he looked at his friend. "You're off today?"

"No, we're going in later. Can I talk to you?" Willie asked as Mike nodded. "Out back maybe?"

"Sure. Let me finish up and we'll go to the back," Mike said as he quickly finished mowing the grass and wheeled the mower back into the garage. Willie followed Mike into the house and watched as he cleaned up. "You want some coffee?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

After fixing them both coffee, Mike unlocked the back door and led Willie out into the backyard where both men took seats at the picnic table. "I don't know how the test went. I won't know until sometime next month. I can tell you that it was a bitch, so if you're going to take it, study. A lot."

"That's not why I'm here. I was just wondering how you do it. How do you balance work, family, and Jill," Willie looked at his old friend as he played with his coffee cup.

"Man, we talked about this before. You need to get it through your head that Jennifer isn't Jill. She's never going to be Jill. And, if you keep trying to make her into something that she's not, you're going to find yourself alone," Mike looked at him pointedly. "Jill and I have a different history than you and Jen do. That history could've broken us apart a lot of times, but it just cemented us together. I can't explain it any better than that."

"Jen's upset because she feels like I don't help enough with Thomas. Do you go through that with Jill?" Willie asked as Mike smiled.

"Yeah," he nodded as he took a drink of his coffee. "But, Jill also works outside of the home. She's not with Mary Kate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Jen taught school before the two of you got married. Why doesn't she get her license here and start teaching again? Even if it's just on a substitute basis. That way she wouldn't feel stifled all of the time."

"We agreed that she'd be a stay at home mom. My dad left me some money when he died. It's not a lot, but it's enough so that she doesn't have to work."

"But, if Thomas is driving her crazy, it's obviously not working, is it? And another thing. I know that it sucks when you come home after working a long shift and your old lady wants you to entertain the kid for a while, but we're fathers now. We just have to suck it up and do it," Mike smiled.

"I'd better get home. I promised Jen last night that I'd cook breakfast. I'll talk to you later," he said as he got up from the table and went back into the house with Mike behind him.

Mike rinsed his coffee cup and put it in the dishwasher before letting Willie out, and then went back upstairs. He took a quick peek at Mary Kate, who was still sound asleep before slipping back into his and Jill's bedroom. He took a quick shower before getting back into bed beside Jill and slipping his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "We don't have time," she mumbled sleepily as she opened one eye and glanced at the clock. "Mary Kathryn's going to be up in about 10 minutes."

"I love you," he whispered as he kissed her neck.

"I love you too, but that isn't going to move the clock back. You should've thought about that before you decided to get up and mow the grass."

"There's trouble in paradise at the Gillis house," he said as he stroked her neck.

"There's always trouble in paradise at the Gillis house. What's wrong now?"

"I'm not sure. I guess Jennifer got upset with Willie because he won't help out more with Thomas. I told him that Jen needs to get out of the house once in a while."

"That's a wonderful idea. I know if I were here 24 hours a day with Mary Kathryn, I'd be ready to give her up for adoption," she said as she heard her daughter at that moment. "Speaking of which . . . "

"I'll go get her and bring her in here," he offered as he got out of bed.

"Please change her first," she begged as she threw her pillow over her head. As much as she loved her daughter, she missed the mornings of being able to stay in bed as a couple, not to mention being able to sleep past eight in the morning.

***MJMJMJ***

The next several weeks passed in a blur. Mike went to work, he came home from work. He took Mary Kate to the park or to his parents house on his days off to give Jill some much needed rest. He cherished the moments spent with his daughter, who seemed to be growing much too fast right before his eyes. At times he envied Willie and Jen, who'd announced that they were expecting their second child sometimes in November. While he and Jill had talked about having another baby, Jill wanted to wait until Mary Kate was out of diapers before the discussion turned serious.

It was a hot June morning when Mike entered the precinct and was told to report to Lt. Older's office immediately. He went to the Watch Commander's office and knocked on the door. It was still hard to get used to Older having Ryker's old office while Mike had Older's old spot, either in the office or out at the front desk. It was a rare day when he was actually out on the street anymore. He entered the office when he heard Older call out. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He entered the office and closed the door.

"Are you doing anything on the 20th at approximately 7:30?" Older asked as he glanced at Mike.

"I'm not sure, sir. Should I make plans for that day and time?" He asked as his heart began to pound in his chest.

"I'd say so," Older glanced up with a grin on his face. "That is, if you want to get your gold shield. Congratulations, Danko. I was told that you received the second highest score on the test. You were beat out by some bozo from Foothill Division by the name of Decker. I'm sure that you'll go farther than he will."

"I hope so, sir," Mike said as he reached across the desk and shook his lieutenant's hand. "Have you decided who'll get my current slot?"

"Probably Gillis. He's the only one of you clowns that's taken the sergeant's exam. Would you please light a fire under Webster? I think it'd please your former lieutenant immensely if all three of you became senior officers."

"We've been lighting, but so far he isn't taking the bait. We'll keep trying, sir."

"Fine. Get out of here," Older dismissed him as he returned to his paperwork.

The night of the ceremony, Mike had reluctantly agreed to allow Tori to babysit for both Mary Kate and Thomas, on the condition that Amanda was there to make sure that everything ran smoothly. Tori was thrilled for the opportunity to finally show that she was growing up, not to mention making some much needed money. Willie and Jen had made arrangements with Amanda that they'd pick up both kids after the ceremony.

Part of the actual ceremony consisted of having to listen to several dull, monotonous speeches. Speeches by the mayor, the chief of police, and several other dignitaries. It was enough to put a person to sleep. But, finally, the actual ceremony began. Jill had never been prouder in her life as she watched Mike accept his new gold shield. Along with the shield, he also received a plaque that would be hung on the wall in his office along with his other commendations.

After the ceremony, it took a while for Mike to find his way to them. When he did, everybody wanted to see the shield to admire and heft the weight in their hands. While they were standing there, Mike pointed out to the guys and Jill the detective who'd received the top score on the exam. "That's okay," Jill consoled him. "When you take the lieutenant's exam, you can pay him back by getting the higher score."

"The lieutenant's exam, huh?" He grinned as she nodded. "I say we get out of here and go celebrate."

The guys, Lt. Ryker, Trap, Jill and Jen went to The Open House where the celebration continued. Ryker and Trap had them laughing about their exploits following cheating husbands. It was after one in the morning when Jill glanced at her watch. "We should get to Amanda's to pick up Mary Kathryn," she told Mike.

"No, Jill," Jen told her. "William and I have already made arrangements with Amanda to pick up both kids. I thought that maybe you and Mike would like to have a free night without having to worry about Mary Kate."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Jill hugged her. "Thank you."

"Does that mean we don't have to stop whatever we're doing before eight in the morning?" Mike looked at his wife with a twinkle in his eye. "We owe you, buddy. Big time."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that you pay us back."

Meanwhile, in a storage unit on the other side of town, a man was about to make a discovery so shocking and so vile that it'd have everybody believing that evil truly does exist in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers: I still don't own the show. If I did, I'd be accessing the Internet at home and not from a McDonald's.**

**Summary: Mike meets his new partner as they begin investigating a truly heinous crime.**

Chapter 2: The Mystery Child in the Freezer

Early Monday morning, Mike stood in front of the bathroom mirror as he straightened his tie. He hadn't been this nervous since the day he'd married Jill. He found himself wondering who his new partner would be and he hoped that they'd get along. Looking himself over one more time, he decided that he looked presentable enough and went downstairs to breakfast. He watched Jill get Mary Kate ready as he ate his bacon and eggs. "Are you excited?" She asked as she brushed Mary Kathryn's long curls into pig tails and wrapped pony tail holders tightly around each one.

"Nervous is more like it," he admitted as he finished his coffee.

"You're going to be fine," she said as she walked over and kissed him. "I have to go or I'm going to be late. I'll see you tonight. Call me if you get a chance and let me know how things are going."

"I will," he smiled as he got up and kissed her and Mary Kate. "Have a good day. Be careful."

"That's my line," she smiled as she picked up Mary Kathryn and her bag. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you tonight."

Mike pulled into the precinct parking lot at the same time as Willie and Terry. "Check out the new detective," Terry teased as they followed Mike into the precinct. "Are you going to make the streets safer for humanity?"

"I'm sure going to try," Mike grinned. "I'll see you guys later."

When Mike had received his promotion, Willie had been offered his old job but he'd refused it, saying that he wanted to stay out on the streets with his partner for the time being. Mike had disagreed with his decision, telling Jill that he knew that Willie and Jen could use the extra money with the new baby on the way. But, Jill had told him that it was Willie's decision. He could always change his mind later.

***MJMJMJ***

Willie and Terry were on patrol when they got the call that every cop dreads. "Ludlow nine, see the man about a possible dead body. 'U Store It' Public Storage. 14539 Lansing. Code Two," dispatch ended the call as the two friends looked at each other and groaned.

"A dead body in this heat," Willie shuddered as he wrote down the information in their log book.

"I bet you twenty bucks that it's a popper," Terry said, referring to a decomposing body that had bloated in the heat. He made a face as he headed for the address. "A dead body in one of those enclosed storage units in this heat. Yuck!"

"Aren't those places air conditioned? I know when we first moved out here, Jen and I put our things into one of them until we could find a house. The one that we had was air conditioned," Willie remembered.

"Some of them are, but I think it's only if they're in use. Let's just see what we find. Who knows? Maybe we're handing Det. Sgt. Danko his first case," Terry grinned at his partner who couldn't help but grin back.

They found the address and stopped the patrol car outside of the manager's office. Just as they both exited the car, the door to the office opened and a man in his mid-50's emerged. "I'm Mr. Harrison," he said by way of introduction. "I was checking on overdue accounts when I found it. I think it's a kid, by the size of it."

"You said that you think you found a body inside of a freezer," Terry said as they followed him toward the unit.

"Yeah, one of those big chest freezers. It was plugged in so I opened it to see if it was actually running. I didn't smell anything rotten, so I figured that it had to be working," the man rambled as they approached the unit. "It was empty except for what I found inside. It is a body, isn't it?" He asked as he stood in the doorway of the unit.

Terry and Willie walked up to the freezer and lifted the lid. As Mr. Harrison had stated, it was completely empty except for a bundle wrapped in a floral quilt that was tied with what appeared to be neckties. "Willie, why don't you go and radio for detectives? If this is what we all think it is, I don't want to mess up a crime scene."

"Should I call for the M.E. also?" Willie asked as Terry nodded.

"Aren't you going to open it?" The old man asked as Willie ran past him.

"Not until the detectives get here. How long has this freezer been here?" Terry asked as he took out his notebook to take notes.

"Let me see," Mr. Harrison consulted his clipboard. "It was rented on the 10th of January by a Ms. Rosemary White of 12913 Ocean Drive in Santa Monica."

"Did you see Ms. White move in anything besides the freezer?"

"I didn't even see her move in the freezer. I don't watch every vehicle that comes through the gates, officer."

"Do customers have access to the facility after hours?"

"Nope. I'm opened eight to six Monday through Friday and nine till one on Saturday. We're closed on Sunday," the old man answered as Willie came back in and announced that the detectives, the crime lab, and the medical examiner were on their way.

***MJMJMJ***

Back at the precinct, Mike walked upstairs to the detective's squad room. He looked around at the cubicles, wondering where he was supposed to be. A man in his 40's saw Mike looking around and figured that it had to be his new partner. "Are you Danko?" He asked as he got up and walked toward Mike with his hand out.

"Yes, sir," Mike said, shaking the proffered hand.

"I'm Det. Lt. Steven Brinker. You're going to be with me. Come on, I'll show you your desk," he said as he led Mike through the maze of cubicles. "Normally, as a new detective, you'd probably start out in GTA, but since I'm in between partners, the powers that be decided to let you cut your teeth with me. Do as I say and you're going to be just fine." Brinker showed Mike to a desk directly across from his as his phone started ringing. He reached across and picked it up. "Brinker! Hold on," he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Go ahead. Tell the officers on the scene not to touch anything and we'll be there in 20 minutes!"

"We've got a call?" Mike guessed as Brinker hung up the phone.

"It looks that way. Follow me and I'll explain everything on the way," Brinker said as he quickly left the squad room and walked downstairs, Mike on his heels. "A patrol unit got a call to talk to a man about a possible db."

"A db?" Mike looked at Brinker in puzzlement.

"A dead body. I talk in acronyms, a habit I picked up from the army. Anyway, when the unit arrived on the scene, they found what appears to be the body of a child in a freezer. According to the call I just took, nothing's been touched, so with any luck, it'll just be a deer or something," he said as he walked toward a brown Crown Victoria in the parking lot. "I'll get you a set of keys to the unmarked before tomorrow. I don't like playing chauffeur."

"Excuse me for sounding stupid, sir . . . "

"It's Lieutenant, Brinker, or Steve. I hate being called 'sir,'" Brinker warned him as he unlocked the car and they both got in. "There's no such thing as a stupid question, Danko. What's on your mind?"

"How could someone mistake a child for a deer?"

"Oh, whatever is in the freezer is wrapped in a quilt. No one's unwrapped it, yet. But, look on the bright side. At least the freezer was plugged in and working."

"You got all of that from a 20 second phone call?"

"Man, you're more of a rookie than a rookie," Brinker grimaced as he pulled out of the parking lot. "When we take calls in the detective's squad room, we're given as much information as possible with as few words as possible. Don't worry, you'll catch on."

It was a 25 minute drive to the storage facility. Brinker pulled in and quickly found the patrol unit. The M.E. and lab techs had arrived shortly before they had. The M.E. had the quilt-wrapped bundle on a gurney when they walked in. "I was just about to cut the ties if your techs want to get some pictures," she said as she looked at Brinker. "I see that they finally gave you a new partner."

"Yeah. Sgt. Danko, this is Dr. Wells. Cut as close to the knots as you can. That'll give us a clue as to who we're dealing with. Do we know who rented the unit?" He asked Terry.

"Yes, sir. The renter is a woman by the name of Rosemary White. Here's her address," Terry handed the card automatically to Mike, who tried to hand it to his partner.

"No, he gave it to you," Brinker said as he looked at Mike.

"The name on here's probably as phony as the address," Mike said as he glanced at the rental card.

"How do you know the address is a fake?" Brinker tried not to act impressed.

"I take my daughter to the Santa Monica pier all of the time. I know Ocean Drive very well. This address would be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." Mike looked down as the M.E. finished cutting the ties on the quilt and carefully unwrapped it.

None of the cops or the M.E. were prepared for what they were going to see when the quilt was opened.

If she hadn't been in the freezer, you would've thought that she was sleeping except for the bluish tinge to her lips and cheeks. She appeared to be three or four years old, dressed in a pair of pink flannel pajamas. "Can you determine how she died?" Brinker asked

"Not until I do an autopsy and I won't be able to do that until she thaws out," the M.E. sighed as the techs took more pictures of the body, the freezer, and the storage unit.

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know. Eight hours, maybe more. Call me before the end of the day and I'll give you an update," she said as her assistant handed her a black body bag and they zipped the little frozen bundle into it.

"Let's run the name on the card in the system," Brinker told Mike. "I agree with you that it's probably a fake, but maybe it isn't. Let's just see what turns up. Have you guys dusted for prints?" He turned to the techs.

"Yes, sir," one of the techs handed Brinker the cards containing what prints they'd found.

"And you guys didn't touch anything?" Brinker asked as he looked at Terry, Willie, and the old man.

"I opened the freezer," the old man volunteered.

"So did I," Terry added.

"Okay, we'll eliminate you guys from the freezer. Did you touch anything else?" He asked irritably.

"No, sir," Terry answered.

"Just the lock on the door when I came in here," Mr. Harrison said.

"The news people are here," Willie announced as he looked inside.

"Great," Brinker sighed. "Make way for the vultures. Have you ever talked to the media?" He turned to Mike.

"No, sir . . . lieutenant," Mike quickly said as Brinker glared at him.

"You're going to learn two words very quickly. 'No comment.' We don't give them any more information than we have to. Watch and learn," Brinker said as he stepped out of the storage unit where cameras and microphones from all of the local networks awaited them.

"Lieutenant, is it true that a child's body was found inside of a freezer in this unit?" An attractive woman from the local ABC affiliate asked him, thrusting a microphone into his face.

"I can't give you any information at this time," the lieutenant said to the gathering throng. "I'll try to schedule a press conference for later this afternoon where I'll disclose what we know. Thank you," he quickly ducked back into the unit with Mike on his heels. "That, Sgt. Danko, is how you handle the press."

After looking for forensic evidence, Brinker and Mike headed back to the precinct to run the name on the card through the department's computer. "You mentioned that you have a daughter," Brinker said as he drove back toward town.

"Yeah, she's almost two," Mike answered.

"Just do me a favor and don't start comparing this dead kid to your little girl. Fortunately for you, your little girl is alive and well while we have to find out why our little frozen girl isn't."

"It makes you wonder about some people, though," Mike sighed as he stared out of his window.

"I stopped wondering about why people do things a long time ago. I've been a cop for 23 years and have seen all too well man's inhumanity to man," Brinker said. "I've seen parents hack up their kids. I've seen kids hack up their parents. After a while, you just stop asking why."

"Well, I've only been doing this for seven years and I thought I'd seen everything."

"I don't think we're ever going to see everything, Danko. People are always coming up and new and more creative ways to kill each other. Just when you think you've seen it all, you discover that you haven't."

"My wife says the same thing," Mike looked at his new partner. "She's the head trauma nurse at Memorial Hospital. She says the same thing about just when you think you've seen it all, something new and bizarre comes through the door."

"A cop and a nurse. Man, I bet you guys can keep a group entertained at parties," Brinker said as he pulled into the precinct parking lot. "Go ahead and take that name to the computer people and see if they can come up with something."

While Brinker went upstairs, Mike went to the computer lab. "I need for you to see if you can find something on a Rosemary White," he told the computer tech, who looked at Mike as if he'd just grown a second head. "I'm sorry, I don't have anything else. Just a name. Can you do something with just a name?"

"A social security number or a date of birth would be better, but I'll see what I can do," the tech said as he typed in the name and hit the 'enter' key. "This might take a few hours. Standing over me isn't going to make things go any faster."

"Okay. Call me upstairs in the detective's bureau if you get a hit," Mike started to leave.

"What's your number?" The tech asked as Mike stopped in his tracks.

"You know what? I don't know, so call me at Lt. Brinker's extension," Mike said as he left the room.

Mike was at his desk a few hours later when Brinker's phone rang. "Brinker!" He shouted into the phone. "Hold on," he turned and looked at Mike in irritation. "Why is Wilson calling you on my extension?" When Mike gave him a puzzled look, Brinker sighed and rolled his eyes. "Wilson's the computer guy, rookie."

"Oh. I didn't know my extension number," Mike got up and took the phone. "This is Danko."

"I don't know how much this is going to help. I've got about 30 Rosemary Whites, but only one of them was from this area," Wilson relayed to Mike.

"That's great! Give me the address," he said as he signaled to Brinker to give him a piece of paper and something to write with.

"Slow down, Sergeant. I said that she _was _from the area. She died in a car accident in 1971."

"Okay, thanks," Mike said as he hung up. "Wilson said that there was one Rosemary White who lived in this area, but she died in a car accident in 1971."

"So, somebody stole her name."

"It appears that way, but I'm thinking that it was somebody who knew Rosemary White and knew that she was dead."

"We need to get down to the coroner's office and take some pictures of the dead girl and give them to the newspapers. Somebody out there has to know who this girl was and who she belonged to," Brinker said as he picked up the phone and dialed. "Jane, Steve Brinker. I know that you haven't been able to start the autopsy, but could we come down and take some Polaroid's of the dead girl? I want to give them to the newspaper and see if we can get her identified."

"Yeah. There's something that I need to show you, anyway," the M.E. said as she ended the call.

"Come on, let's go to the morgue," Brinker announced as he got up. "Dr. Wells said that she needs to show us something, anyway. I'll even let you drive," he tossed the car keys to Mike.

The morgue was deep in the bowels of the county hospital. The smell was the first thing you noticed when you entered. Mike tried to breathe through his mouth as they approached the autopsy table. "When I undressed our small Jane Doe, I noticed this," Dr. Wells pointed to a long scar running down the little girl's chest. "She's had heart surgery."

"Recently?" Brinker wanted to know.

"Hard to say. The scar isn't real recent, but it's probably been in the last two years. Pass that on to the newspaper when you take them the picture. That should help a lot," she said. "Oh, and another thing. The quilt she was wrapped in was handmade."

"How do you know that?"

"My grandmother was a quilter. Also, I'm thinking she comes from a wealthy family. Her pajamas came from a high-end store."

"That doesn't mean anything. The pajamas could've been a gift," Mike piped in as the M.E. nodded. "What I mean is my parents give my daughter expensive clothes and gifts all of the time. That doesn't mean that my wife and I are wealthy, because believe me, we're not."

"Good point," the M.E. conceded as Brinker took out his Polaroid instant camera and snapped several pictures of the little girl, taking them from all angles. "Are you going to the Times from here?"

"Yeah. Hopefully we can get these pictures in the early edition tomorrow," Brinker said as he finished his task. "Are you going to do the autopsy tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning. Hopefully she'll be thawed out enough by then. She sure was a pretty little thing," she sighed as they looked at the little girl on her table. "Some people just shouldn't be parents."

"Agreed," Brinker said. "Thanks, Jane. We'll see you in the morning."

"I'll be here. Steve!" She called out as Mike and Brinker were about to leave. "I'm glad that they gave you a partner who can speak this time."

"Me, too," Brinker agreed as they left the morgue.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Mike asked as they took the elevator back upstairs.

"My last partner didn't have an opinion of his own. He deferred everything to me. While I may not always agree with what you say, I'll listen and thank God that you at least have a mind of your own. Come on, let's go talk to my favorite reporter at the Times," he said as they left the hospital and walked to the car.

They parked in the street in front of the offices of **The Los Angeles Times**. Brinker placed a placard on the windshield stating that they were on official police business. "So, do you use this particular reporter a lot?" Mike asked as they entered the newspaper building.

"His daughter was murdered six years ago. I was the lead investigator on the case and found the scumbag who did it. Since then, he's been in the business of paying me back. Let's just say he's eternally grateful," Brinker said as they took the elevator upstairs.

When they got to the 6th floor, Brinker asked for Bobby Collier. Within a few moments, a man in his late 30's approached them. "Lt. Brinker, what can I do for you today?" Collier asked as he shook Brinker's hand.

"Bobby, this is my new partner, Det. Sgt. Danko. Sgt. Danko, this is Bobby Collier. Can we sit down somewhere?"

"Yeah, let's go to my desk," Bobby said as he led them over to a desk that was cluttered with papers and a typewriter. "What do you need?" He asked as he sat and motioned them to two empty chairs.

"We need to find out who this little girl is," Brinker handed the picture of the dead girl over to Bobby. "We found her this morning in a freezer in a storage unit in the valley. She was wrapped in this quilt," he shoved a picture of the quilt at him, as well. "Can you run a story that'll run in the early morning edition?"

"How old do you think she is?" Bobby asked as he took notes.

"Anywhere from two to maybe five. She also has a scar running down her chest. The M.E. says it's probably from open heart surgery. We also believe that the quilt is handmade and she was dressed in pajamas from a high-end store such as Macy's or Nieman's. Is that enough?" Brinker asked.

"Yeah. I think I can get my editor to run with this. I just hope he doesn't decide to bury it inside of the paper where it won't get seen," Collier grimaced as he looked at the pictures.

"Bobby, I need this story to run on page one. Somebody discarded this little girl in a freezer like she was a steak or something. I want to find the person who did this," Brinker stared at Bobby with steely eyes as the newspaper man nodded.

"I agree, Steve. I'll do the best that I can. It's all I can do," Bobby said as Brinker and Mike got up to leave.

When they arrived back at the precinct, Brinker was told that the electronic media were gathered in the conference room, wanting to know what they had on the girl from the freezer. "Let's go deal with the vultures," he sighed as he and Mike walked into the conference room where the news stations were waiting. Stepping up to a long table, Brinker stood in front of a sea of microphones. "This morning, a patrol unit was called to a storage facility in the valley. Inside of a freezer inside of one of these units they found the body of a small child between the ages of two and five."

"Do you know the renter of the unit?" One of the news people asked.

"Not at this time. This is a Polaroid taken at the morgue," Brinker said as he held a picture up toward the cameras. "If anybody knows who this child is, please contact your nearest police department. Thank you," he said as he stepped away from the microphones, indicating that the press conference was over.

***MJMJMJ***

At home that evening, Jill was cooking dinner as Mary Kathryn played happily in her play pen. As long as she could see her mother, everything was all right in her world. Jill had a small TV sitting on the counter and was watching it while she fixed dinner. Her attention was suddenly caught by the picture of a small child that was flashed on the screen. "Police are looking for information regarding the identity of this child. She appears to be between the ages of two and five and was discovered this morning inside of a freezer in a storage unit located in the valley . . . "

She found herself wondering if Mike had caught this case, but just as quickly she dismissed the notion. He wouldn't be working homicide as a new detective. Eddie had told her that Mike's first assignment would probably be Juvenile or Grand Theft Auto, departments with fairly high solve rates and little chance of being violent.

Mary Kathryn's eyes lit up as she heard the garage door being raised. "Daddy!" She chortled happily as a moment later, the door leading into the house opened and he walked in, loosening his tie as he closed the door. "Daddy!" She cried out as she stood up and held out her arms to him.

"Hi, pumpkin," he greeted her as he walked over and lifted her out of the baby prison, cradling her warm body close to his as he breathed in the scent of her. "I missed you today," he kissed her before walking over and kissing Jill. "Hi, baby. Dinner smells great. I'm starving."

"It'll be done in 15 minutes or so if you want to take a shower first," she said as she reached out to take Mary Kathryn from him.

He backed away when she tried to take the baby as he looked at the TV. "Have they said anything about . . . "

"A little girl in a freezer? Yeah, it was just on. Mike, please tell me that this isn't your case," she pleaded as he walked over to the table and sat down with Mary Kathryn on his lap.

"I could tell you that, but I'd be lying. It seems that Lt. Brinker needed a partner and guess what?" He looked at her with a wry smile as she turned off the TV. "One part of me should feel honored to be working homicide so early, but the other part of me wants to work something a lot less gruesome. Terry and Willie were the ones who got the original call. It was awful."

"Go take a shower and try to put it out of your mind for right now," she suggested as she took Mary Kathryn from him and put her back in the playpen as the baby began to scream in protest. "Dinner will be ready by the time you get out."

After dinner was over and the dishes were washed, Jill took Mary Kathryn upstairs to give her a bath before turning her over to Mike. Bedtime had always been Mike and Mary Kathryn's special ritual, except when he'd worked evening shift. Now that he was a detective, his hours would be more regular and he could put his daughter to bed almost every night. He'd sit with her in the big white rocker in her bedroom and read two storybooks to her. She never made it past the first one, but she'd instantly wake up if he tried to put her to bed without reading the second one. Somehow she always knew.

Jill was sitting downstairs reading as she waited for Mike to come back downstairs. Usually he wasn't gone more than half an hour. Tonight, it had been almost an hour and he still hadn't left Mary Kathryn's room. She put down her book and walked upstairs. Sticking her head into the baby's room, she was surprised to find Mike just sitting in the rocker, holding Mary Kathryn, who was sound asleep. "Mike, you need to put her in bed. She's going to get spoiled if you sit there and hold her while she sleeps," she whispered.

"Sorry. I lost track of time," he apologized as he got up and put Mary Kate in her bed, covering her with her favorite blanket and putting her doll by his side. He then turned on her nightlight and left the room, pulling the door partially closed behind him.

She sighed as she went back downstairs. Cases involving kids were always the worst for Mike. She knew he was going to equate this dead little girl with Mary Kathryn and she knew it was going to drive her crazy. The only thing she could do was hope that this case was solved quickly.

**MJMJMJ***

The next morning, in an apartment near UCLA, a young woman was eating her breakfast as she read the morning paper. The picture she found staring at her from the front page of the **L.A. TIMES **almost made her spit out her mouthful of cornflakes. She recognized the child, but mostly she recognized the quilt because she'd helped the child's grandmother make it. She also knew it was her when she read about the surgical scar. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her car keys before racing out of the front door.

It was an hour long drive to the precinct. The young woman found a parking space and ran into the building. A police officer looked up from the front desk as she approached him. "May I help you?"

"I need to talk to somebody about the little girl in the paper," she said as she pointed to the paper lying on the counter of the desk.

"Hold on," the desk sergeant picked up the phone and dialed. "Lt. Brinker, there's a young woman down here who wants to talk to somebody about the frozen girl."

"Don't call her that!" The woman shrieked as heads turned to stare at her. "She happens to be my sister!"

"Tell her that I'll be right down," Brinker said as he hung up and looked at Mike. "We might have an identity for our dead kid. I'll be right back." He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the lobby and spotted the young woman. "Excuse me. I'm Lt. Brinker. May I help you?"

"My name is Margaret Smyth," she introduced herself. "This little girl in this picture is my half-sister Grace."

"Are you sure?" Brinker asked as the woman glared at him. "I'm sorry, Ms. Smyth. Please come upstairs to my desk and you can give me and my partner some information. Would you like some coffee or something else to drink?"

"No, thank you. I just want some answers," she said as Brinker led her to his desk and found a chair as he introduced her to Mike. "The first thing I want to know is where Alexandra is."

"Who's Alexandra?" Mike asked.

"Alexandra is my other sister and if Grace is dead, she's probably in danger, too. Did you find any evidence that anybody else was dead?" Ms. Smyth asked as she pulled a tissue from her purse.

"No," Brinker answered. "Could we get some background information first? First, are you positive that this child is your half-sister?"

"I have pictures," she said as she removed her wallet and opened it, showing them several professional photographs of a small girl who looked amazingly like the child in the morgue. "Also, the newspaper mentioned a surgical scar. Grace had open heart surgery when she was 10 months old for an ASD."

"Excuse me, but what is an ASD?" Brinker asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm a medical student and I forget that everybody doesn't have medical knowledge. It's an Atrial Septal Defect. A hole in her heart."

"When's the last time that you saw Grace?" Mike asked.

"Christmas. I moved out when I was 18. That was when I decided that I'd had enough of my step-monster. I visit as little as I possibly can, although I do try to call my sisters to keep in touch. It's been harder lately because my class schedule is rough and I'm doing residency at Cedars Sinai. The last time I talked to Alexandra was in March and she sounded strange. I can't explain it any better than that. She said something about Elizabeth shipping her off to school, which I can't believe my father would agree to," she looked at the two cops as they wrote furiously in their pads.

"What does your father and stepmother do for a living?" Brinker asked.

"My father is a trial lawyer. He specializes in international law. He's been in Hong Kong since right after Christmas working on a big case. My stepmother's job? Basically, it's just spending my father's money as fast as he makes it. My mother died in a car accident when I was 14 and Alexandra was four . . . "

"In 1971?" Mike guessed as Margaret stared at him in shock.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"We'll come back to that," Brinker said as he looked at Mike. "What do you think happened to Grace?"

"Elizabeth killed her," Margaret stated simply. "As I said, mine and Alexandra's mother died in a car accident. My father didn't want us raised by nannies and all of that stuff. That's the way that he was raised and he hated it. When he married Elizabeth, he tried to enforce that edict. Well, my step-monster wasn't having any of that. She hired a governess for both of us and relegated us to the third floor. It was like something out of 'The Sound of Music' without the cheerful music and singing. I think she was shocked when she got pregnant with Grace. Shock that was made worse when Grace was born less than perfect. After the surgery, the doctors assured my father and Elizabeth that there was no reason why Grace couldn't live a normal life. But, Elizabeth hated noise. And, as I'm sure you both know, children make a lot of noise. Even children stuck on the third floor. We were paraded before her society friends when it suited her purposes. Otherwise, we were to be seen and not heard. Wait, let me correct that. We were to be not heard and not seen."

"Was she abusive?" Mike asked.

"Do you mean did she beat us? No, Det. Danko. But, the psychological abuse can be so much worse than anything she could hit us with. My father was gone for weeks, sometimes months at a time. So, he didn't see any of this. And, we didn't dare say anything when we did see him."

"If Elizabeth did kill Grace, why would she hide her body in a freezer?" Brinker asked as Margaret began to laugh.

"Do you know what cryogenics is?" She asked as both cops shook their heads. "It's freezing a body in the hopes that medical science can come up with a cure for whatever disease caused their death. Elizabeth's crazy. She probably stuck Grace in that freezer in the hope that medical science could cure her and bring her back to life someday."

"Do you know who Rosemary White is?" Brinker asked as the young woman's face went white.

"Rosemary White was my mother. How do you know her name?"

"Whoever rented the storage unit where the child was found used the name Rosemary White on the rental agreement," Brinker told her.

"Can I please see my sister?" She asked. "And, after that, can you please see if Alexandra is all right?"

Brinker and Mike got up and motioned for Margaret Smyth to follow them. The three of them went out to the unmarked as Brinker got behind the wheel and drove to the county hospital. When they arrived at the morgue, Jane Wells looked at them in surprise. "I haven't started the autopsy yet," she said as she noticed Margaret for the first time.

"This is Ms. Smyth. She thinks Janie Doe might be her sister Grace," Brinker explained.

"Come with me," Dr. Wells beckoned Margaret into the autopsy room and over to a table where the small child's body lay on a metal autopsy table covered with a white sheet. "Are you ready?"

Margaret nodded as the M.E. pulled the sheet past the little girl's face. Tears filled the young woman's eyes as she nodded. "It's Grace," she whispered as the doctor replaced the sheet. "Can you tell how she died without the autopsy?"

"No. I'm sorry, but I can't. I need to get some information," the doctor said as she picked up a clipboard. "What's your sister's full name?"

"Grace Townsend Smyth."

"Date of birth?"

"April 22, 1976."

After asking a few more questions, Dr. Wells let Margaret leave. She didn't say anything until they got into the car. "Are you going to arrest Elizabeth?" She asked as Brinker drove them back to the precinct.

"We're going to investigate and solve the murder," he answered. "If your stepmother is the murderer, then we'll arrest her."

"I have to call my father and let him know about Grace. Are you going to talk to Elizabeth?"

"As soon as we drop you off and get the address."

The address that Margaret gave them belonged to a palatial house in Brentwood. The house was three stories of stone, with velvety green lawns and large flower beds. It looked as if it could belong to a movie star. Brinker and Mike got out of the car and walked up to the front door and rang the bell. It was answered in seconds by a maid in the traditional black and white uniform. "May I help you?" The maid asked as she looked at both men.

"I'm Det. Lt. Brinker and this is Det. Sgt. Danko. We need to speak to Mrs. Smyth," Brinker said as they both showed their badges to the maid.

"Please wait here," she said as she shut the door in their faces.

They stood there for a good five minutes before the door re-opened and they found themselves face to face with a woman who appeared to be in her late 30's. She was dressed expensively in designer clothes, her hair and makeup obviously taken care of by professionals. "May I help you?"

"You can if you're Elizabeth Smyth," Brinker said as they re-introduced themselves and once again displayed their badges.

"Yes, I'm Elizabeth Townsend Smyth. May I ask what this is about?" She asked in an icy tone as she continued standing in the doorway.

"We need to talk to you regarding your daughter Grace. May we come in?"

"My husband is out of the country right now. I really think that I should wait until he returns," she said.

"Mrs. Smyth, we're going to do this one of two ways," Brinker warned her. "Either we talk now or I come back with a warrant."

Mrs. Smyth reluctantly stepped away from the door, allowing the two detectives to enter the house. Mike tried not to appear awestruck as she led them into a sitting room and closed the door behind them. The house had huge vaulted ceilings and was filled with antiques and rare paintings hanging on the walls. The sitting room furniture was stark white and looked too pristine to sit on. "Would you like some coffee?" She asked as they sat down.

"No, thank you," Brinker answered. "We'd like to ask you some questions about your daughter Grace."

Elizabeth Smyth had been expecting this visit for almost five months, but it was still shocking to hear of the reason why the police had come to her home. The story that she'd concocted and rehearsed over and over had started sounding so truthful that she almost found herself believing it. "What about her?" She asked in a silken voice.

"Did you happen to see the front page of the **LOS ANGELES TIMES **this morning?" Brinker asked as he took out his notepad.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Det. Lt. Steven Brinker. This is Det. Sgt. Michael Danko."

"Det. Lt. Brinker, the only part of the newspaper that interests me is the society page and then only when I'm in it," she said as she smoothed her linen skirt over her knees. "I have no interest in world events or even local events, for that matter."

"There was a child found inside a freezer in a storage unit. That child has been positively identified as your daughter Grace. Are you going to deny that you have a daughter named Grace?" Brinker asked sarcastically. What he really wanted to do was walk over and slap the smug society smile off of her face.

"No, I don't deny that I have a daughter named Grace. May I ask who identified her?"

"Your stepdaughter Margaret," Mike answered, speaking for the first time.

"Ahh yes, Maggie," she sighed. "Maggie doesn't like me. Did she tell you that?"

"No, ma'am. Can you please explain to us how Grace came to be discarded in a freezer like a side of beef?" Brinker asked.

"Did Maggie happen to mention her other sister?"

"Alexandra?" Mike asked as she nodded. "Yes ma'am, she did."

"Alexandra is a deeply disturbed child, detectives. She was five when I married her father and as she youngest child, she became quite used to having her father's attention all to herself. This all ended when I gave birth to Grace. Alexandra was almost nine at the time. Unfortunately, Grace was born with health problems that took her father's and my attention away from her and her sister. Alexandra would fly into these rages and try to hurt Grace," she looked at the detectives as she recited the tale she'd rehearsed in her head so many times over the past several months.

"Are you saying that Alexandra is the reason that Grace was in the freezer?" Brinker asked in stunned disbelief.

"Grace's nurse came into her room and found Alexandra standing over Grace holding a pillow over her face. By the time she came and got me, Grace was already blue. I absolutely came unhinged. I couldn't believe a child could be capable of something like this. My husband was out of the country, so I called him and told him what happened."

"What was his advice?" Mike asked.

"He told me that if I called the police, they'd take Alexandra and lock her up in some insane asylum where she'd never get out. He couldn't bear to have that happen. Alexandra was his world, much more so than Maggie or even Grace. He told me to somehow dispose of Grace's body and if anybody asked to tell them that we'd sent Grace to Philadelphia to live with her grandmother. After all, that's where the best children's hospital in the country is located. We knew that our friends would believe us."

"Why'd you use a false name when you rented the storage unit?" Mike asked.

"Because if I used my real name, the police would come and take Alexandra," she explained. "Right after it happened, I found a wonderful school for emotionally disturbed children. She's been there ever since."

"Where's this school?" Brinker asked.

"In Malibu. It's called The Everett Institute."

"Nice digs," Mike said under his breath as Brinker turned to glare at him. "Mrs. Smyth, we're going to need your permission to talk to Alexandra."

"I don't see what good can possibly come of that. As I said, Alexandra is severely emotionally disturbed."

"Ma'am, I don't care if her head spins around in circles and she spits pea soup at us, we need to talk to her. If you won't give us your permission, we'll get it from the D.A.'s office. Your stepdaughter is a possible suspect in a homicide," Mike warned her.

"Oh, very well," Mrs. Smyth huffed. "But, I'm telling you that she's been basically unresponsive since this happened. But if you want to talk to her, I guess that I can't stop you."

"One more thing," Brinker said as they stood up. "When is your husband coming back into the country?"

"I'm not sure," she hedged. "I guess that I can give you his number and you can ask him yourself."

They left the house and got back into the unmarked before Brinker started laughing. "What's so funny?" Mike asked as he looked at his partner.

"You are," Brinker admitted as he looked back at him. "'I don't care if her head spins around and she spits pea soup.' You're too funny. So, do you think the kid did it?"

"Honestly? No," Mike answered. "I think they're blaming it on the kid because they figure if she's charged, she'll be sentenced as a juvenile and get out of detention when she's 21 with a sealed record."

"I agree with you. When we get back to the precinct, call up the D.A. and get an advocate assigned to the girl. Ask for Serena Hall, if she's available. She's wonderful at what she does," Brinker said as Mike nodded, writing down the name is his notebook. "If she goes to talk to the kid, I want you to go with her. I don't like interviewing kids."

"How do I go about it if Alexandra is as disturbed as her stepmother says she is?"

"Just do the best that you can."

When Mike got back to the precinct, he made his phone calls. He was told that Ms. Hall was out of the office, so Mike left both his work and home numbers for her to call him back. "Are you going to call Margaret Smyth back?" He asked after he got off of the phone.

"No, I'm tied up here. Why don't you do it?" Brinker suggested as Mike shrugged and dialed her number.

Margaret didn't want to talk over the phone, so Mike suggested that they meet at a small deli near the University. She agreed, so they made a date. "I'm going to meet Margaret Smyth for lunch," Mike said as he hung up the phone.

"Sexy. Just don't tell your old lady," Brinker said as Mike rolled his eyes. "I just called the morgue and found out that the autopsy is underway. I should know something when you get back."

"Great," Mike said as he grabbed his suit jacket and left the area.

***MJMJMJ***

Margaret was waiting at a table when Mike entered the deli 45 minutes later. "Did you talk to Elizabeth?" She asked as a waiter came up and took Mike's lunch order as he sat down.

"Yes, we did. She told my partner and me that Alexandra smothered Grace with a blanket. The baby nurse caught her in the act," Mike blurted the accusation straight out.

"Are you kidding?" Margaret shrieked as she put down her coffee cup. "That's not possible!"

"Ms. Smyth . . . "

"Please call me Maggie."

"Maggie, anything's possible."

"No, you don't understand. There was no baby nurse. I mean, there used to be, but Elizabeth got rid of her sometime in October or November of last year. I remember Alexandra telling me about it. Besides, Alexandra adored Grace. She'd never hurt her. Did she say anything about the school where she's sent my sister?"

"Yes, she said that she sent her to a school for emotionally disturbed children after the incident. It's called The Everett Institute and it's located in Malibu."

"Detective . . . "

"Sergeant," Mike corrected her.

"Sergeant, my sister _is not _emotionally disturbed. She has an IQ of 155. She's only 12 years old, but she's already scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT's. My mother used to call her a freak of nature because she could read when she was two years old. I mean, I'm smart, but she outshines me by a mile. She's not disturbed," she repeated.

"Well, we're trying to get an advocate assigned to her so that we can question her about what happened. Hopefully that'll happen in a day or two. Do you have a problem with us questioning her?"

"No, not at all. Do you think you can get her released from that place?"

"We're certainly going to try."

***MJMJMJ***

That evening Jill and Jen were visiting in the Danko's kitchen while the kids played in the living room. "Jill, I was thinking," Jen began as the phone rang.

"Hold that thought," Jill said as she walked over and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Sgt. Danko, please?" A woman's voice asked over the line.

"He's not here right now, but I expect him at any time. May I ask whose calling?" Jill asked as she grabbed the message pad by the phone.

"My name is Serena Hall. I work for the D.A.'s office. I'm returning his phone call from this afternoon. Tell him that he can reach me at this number until seven o'clock," Ms. Hall said as she gave Jill the phone number.

"I'll let him know," Jill said as the call ended. "Now, what were you saying?" She turned her attention back to Jen.

"I was thinking that instead of you having to haul Mary Kate to either daycare or your in-law's every morning that I could watch her instead. It'll give me practice for the day when I'm having to chase two kids," Jen suggested.

"I don't know, Jennifer. I mean, you're pregnant now and you tire easily. Mary Kathryn's like a white tornado. She can demolish a room in a matter of seconds."

"So can Thomas," Jen smiled. "Please, Jill? I want to do this."

"I'll tell you what. We'll try it on a test basis and see how things go. But, if she's too much for you, I want you to tell me. Will you do that?" Jill asked as she heard the garage door open, as did Mary Kathryn, who came running into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" Mary Kate shouted as she jumped into Mike's arms as Thomas grabbed him around his legs.

"Whoa! I didn't know we'd inherited another kid," Mike said as he grabbed Thomas into his arms as well before walking over and kissing Jill. "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled. "You have a message to call a Serena Hall. Her number is by the phone."

"Great!" Mike said as he walked over and looked at the number before putting the kids on the floor. "I really need to make this call. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I need to get home, anyway," Jen announced as she got up. "Come on, Thomas. Let's go cook dinner for your daddy. So, are you going to bring Mary Kate over in the morning?"

"You're sure that you want to do this?"

"I'm positive. If it doesn't work, you can go back to doing things the way you were," Jen told her friend as she took Thomas by the hand.

"Then, I'll bring her over in the morning," Jill agreed as she walked Jen and Thomas to the door.

Upstairs, Mike dialed the number that Jill had written on the notepad. Serena Hall answered on the first ring. "Sgt. Danko?"

"Yes, this is he. Is this Ms. Hall?"

"Yes, it is. I'm an advocate for the Los Angeles County Criminal Courts. I've contacted the school that Alexandra Smyth attends. The headmistress or principal or whatever you want to call her is Mrs. Wheeler. She told me over the phone that she doesn't really know why Alexandra is at the Everett Institute. But, every time she speaks to Mrs. Smyth about releasing her, she gets a song and dance."

"Have you set up a meeting so that we can talk to the girl?" Mike asked as Jill entered the room with Mary Kate in her arms.

"Tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Is that convenient for you?"

"That's fine. Do you want me to just meet you there?"

"That'll be fine. I'll be dressed in red. But, if there's more than one woman dressed in red, I'll be the dark-skinned one. I'll see you tomorrow."

"What's that all about?" Jill asked as she sat on the bed and Mary Kathryn climbed over her to get to her father.

"We identified the dead girl," he said as he took Mary Kate. "I really don't want to say more than that right now."

"So, who's this woman that you're meeting tomorrow?" She teased him.

"She's a children's advocate. We're meeting the dead child's sister," he explained as the doorbell rang. "Dollars to donuts, that's either Terry or Willie at the door. Take her and let whoever it is in while I take a quick shower."

Jill removed Mary Kathryn from Mike's arms and went downstairs to answer the door. Both guys were standing there, Willie holding a six-pack in his hand. "You'd better call your wife. She left here a few minutes ago to cook you dinner," she warned Willie as they entered the house.

"I told her that I wasn't going to stay long. Where's Mike?" He asked as they followed Jill out to the back patio, where the heat blasted them in the face.

"Taking a shower. He'll be down in a few minutes," she said as she sat put Mary Kathryn down on the ground and watched her run over to the swing set.

"Has he said anything about the little girl?" Terry asked as he watched Mary Kate.

"All he's said so far is they have identified her and he's supposed to be going tomorrow morning to talk to her sister with a children's advocate. I'm sorry, but I really don't know anything more than that. He told me that he'd tell me more later."

"It's strange not seeing him in uniform out there with us," Terry said as Willie handed him a beer and he popped it opened.

"It should be the three of you working together on this," Jill mused as she looked at the two of them.

"Now you sound like Ryker," Willie smiled as he opened his beer as the sliding door opened and Mike stepped out.

"Who sounds like Ryker?" Mike sat down as Willie handed him a beer.

"Jill. She said that it should be the three of us working on the kid in the freezer. It's strange seeing you with a permanent partner. How's he working out?" Willie asked.

"He's a good guy. He actually lets me ask questions. By the way, the little girl's name is Grace Smyth and she wasn't quite three years old when she was murdered."

"Do you know who killed her?"

"No, not yet, although we do have suspects. That's why I'm going to talk to the sister with the children's advocate tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll get some answers."

"How old is the sister?" Jill asked.

"Twelve," Mike sighed as he drained his beer. "It's a depressing story and I really don't want to talk about it right now."

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter ran so long. That seems to happen a lot with my stories. The chapters develop lives of their own. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: Nope, still don't own them.**

**Summary: Mike meets Alexandra Smyth and then has to make a decision on how to keep her safe. **

Chapter 3 – Meeting Alexandra

The next morning Mike drove to Malibu to The Everett Institute to meet the children's advocate as well as Grace's half-sister Alexandra. He found himself wondering what it'd be like dealing with a 12-year-old who, according to her older sister, was smarter than most adults.

When he walked in, an attractive light-skinned African-American woman who was dressed entirely in red stood up. "Sgt. Danko?" She looked him over as he nodded. "I'm Serena Hall from the D.A.'s office. Mrs. Wheeler will be joining us momentarily."

A few minutes later, a door opened and a woman with steel gray hair emerged. "Ms. Hall, please come in," she said as she led them into her office.

"Mrs. Wheeler, this is Sgt. Danko from the Santa Costa Police Department. Have you told Alexandra that we're coming to talk to her?" Ms. Hall asked as she and Mike sat down.

"Yes, but I haven't told her why. I thought that would be better coming from you. She's an extremely bright child and as I told you on the phone yesterday, I really don't understand why Mrs. Smyth thinks she needs to be here. She's been nothing but a total joy since she's been here. I do hope you're going to initiate proceedings to get her out of here," Mrs. Wheeler said.

"I've spoken to the district attorney and he's looking into it. How long has Alexandra been here?"

"Since the 10th of January. Her stepmother called early that morning and asked about having her admitted. She said that she'd been having some behavioral problems with her and that she couldn't control her any longer especially with her older sister now being out of the house and Mr. Smyth being out of the country so often. I've spoken to her on the phone several times and have tried to explain to her that Alexandra doesn't belong here. Her response has been to just write bigger checks to the board of directors."

"Have you talked to the board about Alexandra?" Mike asked.

"Of course, officer. They've told me that who am I to say that Alexandra is or isn't disturbed. I don't have to live with her. I personally think they just like the bigger checks," she admitted derisively.

"Could we speak to Alexandra now?" Ms. Hall asked.

"Of course. Please come with me," she said as she stood up and beckoned for them to follow her.

They followed her into a common room and she nodded toward a table where a young girl was sitting by herself. She looked much younger than 12. Her eyes were huge in her small face as she sat with her chin down on a table as she contemplated a chess board. Her long reddish blonde hair tumbled down her back. She was dressed in a blue chambray shirt and dark slacks. She looked up as she saw the headmistress approaching with a strange man and woman. She figured that it must've been the cop and the social worker that she'd been told about the day before. She couldn't figure out why they'd want to talk to her. "Do you play chess?" She asked as the two strangers stopped at her table.

"I play," Mike answered as he looked her over.

"Good. Nobody here plays and I hate to play alone," Alexandra said as she set up the pieces on the board. "So, which one of you is the cop?"

"I am," Mike looked over the chess board. "I'm Det. Sgt. Danko and this is Ms. Hall from the D.A.'s office Child Advocate Division."

"Why do I need an advocate? I have a father, although at the moment he's in Hong Kong arguing some big case for his law firm. Have you ever been to Hong Kong?" She looked at Mike.

"No, I've never been there," he looked over at Ms. Hall, who gave him a slight nod. She knew that they needed to build rapport in order to get her to talk to them.

"It's a small island off the coast of China. Right now it belongs to Great Britain, but in 1997 it reverts back to Chinese rule. My father took me there once when I was seven. It's very crowded," she said as she moved one of her chess pieces.

"Did your stepmother go with you to Hong Kong?" Ms. Hall asked as Alexandra glanced at her as if seeing her for the very first time.

"Elizabeth doesn't go anywhere where English isn't the official language," Alexandra said as she watched Mike make his move on the board. "I'm not sure that I would've done that, but I guess you've been playing longer than I have."

"Does your father do a lot of his business in Hong Kong?" Mike asked.

"One of his firm's major clients is based in Hong Kong. But, he also has clients in Barcelona, Paris, London, and Tokyo. He doesn't spend a lot of time in the states," she said as she moved another piece. "Check," she looked at Mike.

"So, have you traveled to those places, as well?"

"I used to," she said as she looked at him and switched to French, deciding to test him and his cohort. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"What did you just say?" Ms. Hall asked as she looked at Mike, who appeared to be amused.

"She wants to know why we're here," Mike smiled as Alexandra gave him a devilish grin in return. He decided that he liked this little girl very much. He decided to answer her back in French, a language he'd learned from his mother. "Alexandra, we need to talk to you about your sister, Grace."

"You speak French," she said as she continued to smile. "I'm impressed. What about Grace?"

"Do you remember the morning that you were brought here?" Ms. Hall asked. "Please answer in English."

"Of course I remember when I was brought here. It was the highlight of my existence," the young girl answered sarcastically. She wasn't sure she liked the advocate.

"Did you see Grace that morning before your stepmother brought you here?" Ms. Hall asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Elizabeth woke me up at five in the morning and told me that I had to get up. It was still dark when we left the house."

"I understand that yours and Grace's bedrooms were both on the third floor. Did you hear anybody upstairs the night before after you'd gone to bed?" Mike asked.

"Grace's nursery was down the hall from my room because she sometimes woke up in the middle of the night. Has something happened to Grace?" She asked in alarm.

"Alexandra, there isn't an easy way to tell you this, but Grace is dead," Mike told her as gently as he could.

"Was it her heart? Because the doctors said that her heart was okay. Does Maggie know?" She asked as tears coursed down her cheeks.

"We've talked to Maggie. In fact, she was the one who came to us," Mike then explained the circumstances under which they'd found Grace.

"I don't understand," she sobbed. "Who would do that to her?"

"Alexandra, your stepmother said that the baby nurse caught you in Grace's room with a blanket over her face," Mike told her as Alexandra's eyes widened in horror.

"Grace hasn't had a baby nurse since before Thanksgiving! So, I don't know where this baby nurse crap is coming from. Elizabeth has always hated Grace. I wasn't so young that I didn't see what was going on. As soon as Grace was born, she gave her over to a nurse and went about her usual business, which were lunches with her friends and afternoons with her lover. Oh yeah, she has one of those," she looked at the two of them.

"What about you?" Ms. Hall asked as Alexandra gave her a puzzled look. "Did Elizabeth ever pay you any mind?"

"I learned when I was five years old to stay out of Elizabeth's way, Ms. Hall," she answered. "I learned to be quiet and obedient. I learned not to spill my juice or leave crumbs on the table linens. I learned to play without making any noise even though I was on the third floor."

"Do you remember the name of Grace's baby nurse?" Mike asked.

"Sgt. Danko, it wasn't that long ago," she said in a huff. "Her name is Paloma Rivera."

"So, she was from Mexico?" Ms. Hall wondered out loud.

"No, somewhere in South America. Chile or Columbia, I think she said. She was friends with the other nannies. She used to take me and Grace to the park near my house. I'm sure that one of them would know where she was from. Can I ask a question?"

"Certainly," Ms. Hall said.

"Does Elizabeth know that you're talking to me?"

"Yes, we had to get her permission," Mike told her.

"Then you'd better get me out of here. If Elizabeth thinks that I'm telling you about things that went on at home, she'll pull me out of here and relocate me somewhere else where you'll never find me."

"Alexandra, I asked Maggie if she was ever abused by Elizabeth. She told me not physically, but the psychological abuse was so much worse. Is that what happened with you and Grace?" Mike asked.

"I don't know what she did to Grace. I never saw anything. There was a closet on the third floor that had a lock on the door. If I did the least little thing that displeased her, she'd lock me in that closet for hours at a time. I also learned not to become too attached to anything."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"My father would bring me beautiful dolls and other things from his business trips abroad. I had quite a collection. Once, she had several friends over for lunch and had warned me to stay upstairs with Grace and to stay quiet. Well, Grace started to come downstairs and when I tried to stop her, Elizabeth heard me on the stairs. She didn't do anything right then, but the next morning when I woke up, my dolls had all disappeared. I knew that she'd taken them and disposed of them because I dared to disobey her."

"Did she do anything to Grace after that incident?" Mike asked.

"Probably, but like I said, I never saw anything that she did to Grace. However, it was right after that that she fired Paloma," Alexandra remembered as she stared at her visitors. "Why would she say that I hurt Grace?"

"I don't know, Alexandra. Sgt. Danko and I are going to do our best to get you out of here so that you'll be safe. Do you have any other relatives that you can stay with?"

"My father's parents live in London and Elizabeth's mother lives in Beverly Hills. She'd probably let me live with her, but she's very old," Alexandra explained as she noticed the strange look on Mike's face. "What's wrong?"

"I thought that Elizabeth's mother lived in Philadelphia," Mike told her.

"Why would you think that? I don't think Elizabeth even knows anybody who lives in Pennsylvania. I could always live with one of you," she joked half-heartedly as her visitors looked at one another. "I'm kidding. There's not any way that I could stay with Maggie?"

"No. Maggie's busy with school and work."

"I didn't kill Grace," her blue eyes filled with tears as her lower lip trembled. "You believe me, don't you?"

"We believe you," Mike told her as he handed her a white card. "This is my card with my home and work numbers on it. If you have anything to add or if you just want to talk, call me."

"Alexandra, here's my card, too," Ms. Hall handed her another business card. "It might be best for you to lie to Elizabeth for right now. If she wants to know if you've talked to us, just tell her no. It's a stalling tactic that should buy us some time to get you out of here."

"Well, if I have to go to a foster home, will you at least find me a nice family?"

"We will," Ms. Hall promised her. "Thank you for talking to us."

"Thanks for playing chess with me," she smiled shyly at Mike. "Maybe the next time we'll get to finish our game."

"Alexandra, I have one more question," Mike said. "You said that Elizabeth has a boyfriend. Do you happen to know his name?"

"No. She took Grace and me to The Brown Derby one afternoon for lunch. She decided that she wanted to play 'nice mommy' for a change. Anyway, the way that she was flirting with our waiter told me that there was something going on between them."

"So, she goes to The Brown Derby quite a bit?" Ms. Hall asked as Alexandra nodded.

"What if Elizabeth doesn't believe that I haven't been talking to anybody? What if she removes me from here anyway?"

"Alexandra, you let us worry about that, okay? We'll talk again in a few days," Ms. Hall told her.

They stopped by Mrs. Wheeler's office on their way out of the school. "If Mrs. Smyth comes in and attempts to withdraw Alexandra, contact us right away," Mike handed one of his cards to the headmistress.

Mike and Ms. Hall then left the school and walked out into the scorching June day. "It looks like it's going to be another scorcher," Ms. Hall sighed as she looked at Mike. "You handled Alexandra very well. Have you thought about doing this for a living?"

"Briefly, when I become disillusioned with police work," Mike chuckled. "Are you going to be working with CDSS on this?"

"Yes. I can't remove her from here unless I have their say-so. I'll let you know what her caseworker says after I turn in my report to her," Ms. Hall said as they walked to their vehicles.

"I was thinking," Mike stopped by his car as Ms. Hall turned to look at him. "My two best friends and I live in the same neighborhood within a few houses of each other. We've been tight since the academy, so it's a long story. Anyway, don't you think it'd be safer if Alexandra were to stay in a home where she'd be safe? One of my friends' wives is a stay at home mom. Maybe she could stay there."

"I don't know. The caseworker will want to do a home study and make sure that the home is a good fit for Alexandra and vice versa. Again, I'll let you know. In the meantime, why don't you talk to your friend and his wife to see how they feel about it before you decide to just 'volunteer' them," Ms. Hall suggested as Mike nodded. "I'll talk to you later, Sgt. Danko. Thank you for your help."

***MJMJMJ***

Brinker was doing paperwork at his desk when Mike entered the squad room. "How'd the interview go?" He asked as Mike sat down at his desk.

"Interesting. Alexandra gave us two more names to interview. Paloma Rivera was Grace's nurse. And, the other is some unknown waiter at The Brown Derby that Elizabeth was allegedly having an affair with."

"Danko, do you have any idea how many waiters there are at The Brown Derby?" Brinker sighed in irritation. "And, do you think that one of them is going to admit to boinking the stepmother? On the other side of things, the M.E. called with the results of the autopsy."

"I thought that she was supposed to have completed it last night."

"She got tied up. Anyway, there's no concrete cause of death."

"What's that supposed to mean? She couldn't find _anything_?"

"She said that Grace wasn't smothered, because there would've been abrasions on the insides of her mouth. She's still waiting for toxicology to come back, but unless it says something, the cause of death is being listed for the time being as 'undetermined.' By the way, you wouldn't happen to know the time difference between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, would you?"

"Fifteen hours," Mike quickly blurted out as Brinker looked at him in surprise.

"That was quick. I was prepared to call and just ask somebody. Did you learn that on 'Jeopardy' or something?"

"Nope. My parents live here and when I was stationed in Vietnam, the time difference was 15 hours. I figure that Hong Kong would be the same since it's also in Asia and Asia is 15 hours ahead of the West Coast."

"Do you remember whether or not Elizabeth Smyth said what time she called her husband to report Grace's death? I don't have anything about it in my notes."

"She didn't say," Mike said as he went over his notes. "However, Alexandra told Ms. Hall and me that her stepmother woke her up early on the morning of the 10th of January to get her to her new school. She said she woke her up at five and it was still dark when they left the house."

"So, it stands to reason that Grace died sometime before five in the morning."

"Maybe we should get the phone records," Mike suggested.

"If they still have them. The phone company only holds onto records for six months, so we're going to be cutting it pretty close. I'll call them this afternoon," Brinker said as he glanced over at Mike's desk, noticing the pictures of Jill and Mary Kate that he had prominently displayed.

***MJMJMJ***

At the offices of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Ms. Rita Callaghan was reading over the report that had just been given to her by Serena Hall. "I'll call Judge Hallowell in the morning to see if we can get an emergency hearing for tomorrow and see about getting Alexandra Smyth placed in a foster home immediately."

"Rita, Sgt. Danko thinks that Alexandra might be safer if she's not placed in the regular foster care system," Serena looked at her colleague and good friend.

"Where does he suggest we place her instead?"

"He has a friend in the police department whose wife is a stay at home mother. He said that he lives up the street and another of his friends in the department also lives in the neighborhood. He thinks that she'll be safer there. We really feel that Mrs. Smyth is going to do everything in her power to keep Alexandra from talking about what was happening in that house."

"Do you think that the child knows more than she's saying?"

"Yes, I do. I just think she's too frightened to talk about it right now."

"I'll need to see the house and talk to the parents. You said that the wife is a stay at home mother. How many children do they have?"

"I'm not sure. Sgt. Danko didn't say."

"I'll see about getting a home visit set up for tomorrow, if possible. Can you call Sgt. Danko and make arrangements?" Rita asked as Serena nodded. "So, you don't think that the child was responsible for the baby's death?"

"She's not responsible. We think she's a pawn in some kind of game that her father and stepmother are playing. Her father might not even be involved. He's been out of the country and Sgt. Danko said they haven't had a chance to talk to him, yet."

"I'll call Judge Hallowell to see if we can get an emergency hearing for this afternoon to remove the child from this so-called 'school,' and see if he'll approve placing her in a non-State sanctioned foster home," Rita said as she picked up her phone and began dialing.

***MJMJMJ***

Serena Hall called once again before Mike had arrived home from work. Once again, Jill took a message which she gave to Mike when he came home. After he finished talking to her, he called Willie and Terry and asked them to come over. He needed to ask a huge favor of one his good friends, but he wanted to discuss the situation in front of everybody.

Twenty minutes later, the adults were all sitting around the dining room table as the two children played in the living room, continually running back and forth to where their parent's were. "The advocate for the D.A. and I went this morning to interview the sister of the dead child. Her stepmother has put the blame for the child's death on this little girl, whose name is Alexandra. Ms. Hall and I both feel that Alexandra isn't going to be safe in your run of the mill foster home."

"What're you saying, Mike? That you want to place her with one of us?" Jen asked in disbelief. "No!"

"Jennifer, if she stays in that school, she could be in danger. A normal foster family won't be able to protect her, either," Mike implored her.

"What if she is the one who killed her sister? I can't and I won't put Thomas or Mary Kate in that same situation," she hissed at him, her dark eyes flashing furiously.

"Jennifer, my gut is telling me that she's not the one who killed Grace. She needs to be in a normal family. All she knows is life on the third floor of a museum where she's not allowed to make any noise. Where she has to stay quiet and hidden. What kind of a life is that?" Mike asked as Jill took his hand and squeezed it.

"How long do we have to decide?" She finally asked.

"Ms. Hall and Ms. Callaghan from CDSS will probably be talking to you and Willie tomorrow. They're also going to talk to the rest of us," he looked at Terry and Jill. "Jennifer, please believe me when I tell you that I wouldn't even be asking you to do this if I thought that there was any chance that you, Thomas, or the new baby would be harmed. You should me know me well enough by now to realize that."

"How long would she need to stay with us?" Willie finally asked.

"I don't know," Mike admitted. "She has a sister who attends UCLA and grandparents who live in London. I'd imagine that Ms. Hall and her caseworker will probably make arrangements for her to live with the grandparents."

"Mike, we've been friends for a long time, so I'm telling you right now that if we take this girl into our home and something happens to my family, I'll never forgive you," Willie looked at him in warning.

"I understand that. I'd feel the same way if you were asking this of me."

"I want to meet this girl," Willie said as Jen nodded.

"I'll call Ms. Hall and see if she can arrange that."

"Jen and I need to talk about this, but if we can meet Alexandra, that would be a good first step."

To say that Jennifer wasn't in a good mood that night as they got into bed would've been a gross understatement. "William, don't get me wrong," she began as she got into bed beside him, "I love your friends, but I don't like being volunteered for stuff. I especially don't like being volunteered to offer a possible murderous child a place to stay."

"I know honey and I'm sorry," he apologized to her. "Mike has this thing about kids in trouble. He always has."

"if it were just myself and Thomas, I wouldn't be as upset. But, we've got two other children to think about. Not only this baby," she said as she took his hand and placed it on her gently rounded stomach, "but Mary Kate, as well. You said you'll never forgive Mike if something were to happen to one of us. Well, what do you think is going to happen if something should happen to Mary Kate and this girl is responsible?"

"Look, it's only for a little while. We're going to meet the caseworker and Alexandra. If it doesn't work out, we'll let the caseworker know and she can put her in a foster home."

"You want to do this, don't you?"

"I at least want to try."

"Two weeks," she said. "If it doesn't work, then we're calling the caseworker."

"You've got it," he promised as he leaned over and kissed her goodnight.

***MJMJMJ***

Ms. Callaghan was able to schedule a hearing with the judge for the following morning. She and Serena Hall met with him in his chambers in between court hearings. He read over Ms. Hall's report, his brow creased in a frown. "When did you want to remove the minor child from this school?" He asked as he put down the report.

"This morning, if possible. I've spoken to Officer Gillis' superiors and they all speak highly of his character," Ms. Callaghan explained. "His wife doesn't work outside of the home and they have a three-year-old son."

"Ms. Callaghan, I really don't see the urgency in placing this child in a foster home that hasn't been approved by the state. Especially a home where there's a child the same age as the deceased. If she's in danger as you and Ms. Hall both seem to feel that she is, why hasn't the guilty party been taken into custody?" He asked as he removed his glasses.

"The police are still gathering evidence, your honor. But, Ms. Hall and one of the investigating officers feel that Alexandra Smyth knows more than she's telling and she might be more comfortable if she's in a place where she'll have no fear of speaking freely."

"I'll authorize removing the child from the school and taking her to the Gillis' but I want this home monitored diligently. Is that understood?" He looked at both women as he put his signature on the document.

Alexandra was surprised later that morning when Mrs. Wheeler approached her and told her that Ms. Hall and a caseworker from CDSS were coming to see her and to take her to meet the family that she'd probably be staying with. She was nervous as she dressed carefully in a nice dress that Elizabeth had brought her shortly after her arrival at the school.

As she sat in the backseat of Ms. Callaghan's car half an hour later, she found herself wondering if she'd be staying with Sgt. Danko and his family. He'd been very kind to her the day before. Ms. Callaghan stopped the car in front of a large white house. She turned to Alexandra as she shut off the motor. "This is the home of Sgt. and Mrs. Gillis. They're friends of Sgt. Danko's. Do you remember him from yesterday?" She looked at Alexandra as if the young girl was very stupid.

"Yes, of course," Alexandra answered politely, just as her stepmother had taught her as she got out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Jennifer answered the door when Ms. Callaghan rang the bell. "Mrs. Gillis?" The caseworker asked as Jen nodded and stepped back from the door, letting the two women and the pre-teen into the house.

"Please, call me Jennifer or Jen," Jen corrected as she closed the door behind them.

"I'm Ms. Callaghan from CDSS, this is Ms. Hall from the D.A.'s office and this," she motioned toward Alexandra, "is Alexandra Smyth. Alexandra, this is Mrs. Gillis."

"Hi, Alexandra," Jen greeted her warmly. "Please call me Jennifer. William is upstairs with our son. Let me go get him. Please make yourselves at home."

Alexandra sat down carefully on the sofa and smoothed her dress over her knees as she'd been taught. She looked around the room, her eyes falling on the fireplace mantel which held several family pictures, many of them of a small boy with dark curly hair and laughing eyes. She'd never thought she'd ever seen anybody so cute.

She looked up a few minutes later when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Jennifer came back, followed by a tall, dark haired man, and the little boy from the pictures. "Hi, I'm William Gillis," Willie introduced himself to the three ladies as Thomas looked on, finally walking over to stand in front of Alexandra.

"Do you play trains?" He asked as he sized Alexandra up, deciding that she was acceptable.

"I never have, but maybe you could show me how," she answered him as he grinned, displayed dimples in his cheeks.

"Thomas, not now," his mother admonished him.

"No, it's all right," Ms. Callaghan smiled as she glanced at the young girl and the little boy. "Why don't you go play trains with Thomas while I speak to the Gillis'?

Alexandra got up and followed Thomas upstairs to his room where a train track was set up in the middle of the bedroom floor. "Sit down," he commanded as she carefully sat down on the floor as he picked up a striped conductor's hat. "I'm the 'ductor."

"You mean, the 'conductor,'" she corrected him.

"That's what I said," he argued as she smiled at him. "You can be the engineer. My daddy took me on a train once. Have you ever been on a train?"

"Yes, I have. A big train called The Orient Express. I was little at the time, but it was very exciting," she remembered. "How old are you, Tommy?"

"_Thomas_," he corrected her. "Three and a half."

Alexandra smiled. She remembered when she was little and adding that half to your age seemed like a big deal. It made you sound older than you were.

Downstairs, Jen had brought coffee out to her guests. "Do you know how long it'll be before her stepmother is arrested?"

"Right now, they're still investigating," Ms. Hall explained as she sipped her coffee. "I spoke to Sgt. Danko this morning and he told me that Mr. Smyth is due back in the country tomorrow, so they're going to interview him. They're also going to talk to some more witnesses."

"I'd like to look around the house, if I may," Ms. Callaghan announced as she got to her feet just as the doorbell rang.

"That's probably Terry," Willie said as he went to answer the door, letting Terry into the house. "Terry, this is Ms. Callaghan from CDSS and Ms. Hall from the D.A.'s office. This is my partner, Terry Webster."

Serena looked at Terry and immediately liked what she saw. He was tall and well dressed, two things she liked in any man. "I'll talk to Officer Webster while you inspect the house," she told Ms. Callaghan.

"Of course," Ms. Callaghan looked at Jennifer. "Shall we?"

"I think I'll go see how Thomas and Alexandra are getting along," Willie said, as he excused himself from the room.

"I just need to ask you a few questions," Ms. Hall told Terry as they both sat down on the sofa. "Have you known the Gillis' for a long time?"

"I've know Willie for seven years. We went to the academy together and we shared an apartment for two years. I haven't known Jen as long."

"How long is 'not as long?'" She asked.

"Willie moved back to his hometown in Ohio in 1974 and he married Jen right after that. They've only been back in the area for about eight months. I did meet her when I made a trip to see him a couple of years ago, but it was a very brief visit."

"How are they as parents?"

"They're wonderful parents," Terry smiled. "Jen was an elementary school teacher before they married, so she's very hands on with Thomas. Willie's more of the roughhousing kind of dad. Do you know what I mean?"

"My father was that kind of dad, too. Especially with my brothers. How do you think they feel about the possibility of taking Alexandra?"

"I'll admit that Jen is a little concerned about it. Especially considering the circumstances," he admitted.

"Officer Webster, I don't think Alexandra is the guilty party in this case."

"But, there's always that chance, isn't there?"

"Yes, of course. But, I feel that she's being set up as some kind of a pawn by her stepmother . . . "

"That's also what Mike says."

"Sgt. Danko?" Ms. Hall looked at Terry as he nodded. "I agree with him. Sgt. Gillis . . . "

"Uh, Willie's not a sergeant," Terry corrected her. "He was offered the promotion, but he turned it down. He's just plain 'Officer Gillis.'"

"I'm sorry. Anyway, I understand that you live across the street."

"I do."

"You live all by yourself in that big house?" She smiled at him.

"I got a deal that was too good to pass up. Why? Are you offering to move in?" He teased as he grinned at her.

"I never move in before the first date," she teased back.

"Then, we'll just have to make a first date."

"Yeah, sure," she closed her notebook.

"When are you supposed to go to court?" He asked, changing the subject, much to Ms. Hall's relief.

"Rita . . . uh, Ms. Callaghan asked for an emergency hearing with Judge Hallowell, but the earliest he could squeeze us in is day after tomorrow," Ms. Hall said as Ms. Callaghan re-entered the room with Jen. "Well?"

"Everything looks good," Ms. Callaghan smiled. "I'm going to go upstairs and talk to Alexandra and then we can head out."

"I was just telling Officer Webster that there's a hearing with Judge Hallowell for the day after tomorrow, but that's just a formality," Ms. Hall explained to Jen.

"Uh, I'll have to find a babysitter for Thomas and Mary Kate," Jen stammered.

"Oh, you can bring them. It'll only take about five minutes. Who's Mary Kate?" Ms. Hall asked in confusion.

"The Danko's daughter. I babysit her during the week. I don't have her today because she had a doctor's appointment."

"Bring both of them. It'll be fine," Ms. Hall repeated, not seeing the look of panic that passed across Jennifer's face at the thought of two toddlers running loose in a courtroom.

Upstairs, Ms. Callaghan entered Thomas' bedroom where Alexandra was playing with the little boy. She knelt down on the floor beside her. "Are you going to be okay here?" She asked as she watched the young girl.

"Oh, I'll be fine," she answered brightly. "This is much better than the school or being back home with Elizabeth. Are you going to let me see Maggie?"

"I'm going to meet with Margaret this afternoon and explain everything to her. I'll make sure that she's in the courtroom when we meet with the judge."

"Is Elizabeth going to be there?" Alexandra asked in terror.

"I'm sure that she will be, but you're going to be fine. Officer and Mrs. Gillis are also going to be there, as well as Ms. Hall and I. She won't be allowed any contact with you," Ms. Callaghan promised her.

That night, Alexandra lay awake in her bed in the guest room as she stared up at the ceiling, thankful that she was finally safe from the sounds of the crying and screaming that used to come from the bedroom down the hall from her own.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Still wishing that I owned the show, but the reins haven't been handed to me, yet. **

**Summary: Elizabeth Smyth spots her next target as Alexandra adjusts to life at the Gillis home.**

Chapter 4: The Pieces Start Falling into Place

The next morning, Mike and Lt. Brinker were both at their desks doing paperwork. "I want you to go to the park that Alexandra was talking about and see if you can find someone that the baby nurse might've talked to regarding her employer," Brinker instructed Mike.

"May I ask a question?"

"I believe that I told you earlier that there's no such thing as a stupid question. What's on your mind, Sergeant?" Brinker asked, not looking up from his paperwork.

"I'm not complaining, mind you, but I was wondering why I'm always the person doing the interviewing," Mike glanced over his shoulder at Brinker, who looked up from his work.

"I'm the lieutenant, Sergeant. That means that I delegate. And right now I'm delegating you to dig up dirt on the baby nurse. When you're the lieutenant, then you can delegate. Fair enough?" He looked over as Mike started laughing.

"Fair enough," he agreed as he spotted a man in his late 40's wandering around the squad room, looking extremely out of place. "Lieutenant, I might be wrong, but I'm betting that Mr. Smyth has just arrived back in town," he nodded toward the man who was now walking toward their cubicles. "May I help you?" He asked the man.

"Yes," the man answered in an upper crust British accent. "I'm looking for either Lt. Brinker or Sgt. Danko."

"You found us," Brinker stood up as he gave the man a quick once over. Everything about him spoke money from the suit he was wearing to his cologne.

"I'm Harrison Smyth. I understand that you wish to talk to me about my daughter's death."

"Yes, we do," Brinker said, as he motioned to Mike. "Let's go to an interrogation room, shall we? It's a lot more private."

"May I ask first where my daughter Alexandra is? I tried to visit her at school today, only to be told that she was no longer there," Mr. Smyth followed Mike and Lt. Brinker to a small interrogation room.

"For her safety, Alexandra has been placed into the custody of the California Department of Social Services. This was all explained to your wife. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning to determine if this is where she'll remain," Brinker explained as he closed the door to the room. "Please have a seat. Would you like some coffee?"

"If it's the usual swill that's served in establishments such as this, no, thank you," Mr. Smyth answered snobbishly as Mike bit back a grin. "Why do you feel that Alexandra is in some kind of danger? After all, isn't she the one who killed Grace?"

"Allegedly," Brinker corrected him. "We haven't established all of the facts just yet. Until we do, Alexandra is innocent."

"As is my wife."

"Agreed. How did you learn of Grace's death?" Brinker asked as both detectives took out their notebooks.

"Elizabeth called and told me."

"Do you remember what time she called you?"

"It was six o'clock in the evening my time," he said as Mike mentally subtracted the time in his head. That placed Grace Smyth's death at sometime around three in the morning of the 10th. "I was just sitting down to my dinner when she called."

"What exactly did she say to you?" Brinker looked at the father of the victim, noting that he didn't seem particularly upset about the fact that one of his daughters was dead and the other was now in the custody of the state.

"She told me that the baby nurse had awakened her earlier that morning and had told her that she'd just found Alexandra standing over Grace's bed holding a blanket over her face. Elizabeth told me that by the time she'd reached Grace's bedside, it was clear that there was nothing that she could do," he finished his narration as he looked at the two officers.

"What's the name of this nurse who allegedly witnessed the incident?" Brinker asked.

"Paloma Rivera. She'd been with Grace since her birth."

"How was your wife with the children?" Brinker asked, changing tactics.

"What do you mean? She's a good mother," Smyth stammered as his face reddened. "I'm out of town a great deal of the time as I'm sure Elizabeth told you. It's not easy being a single parent, no matter how much money you have."

"How was Grace's general health? I know she had heart surgery when she was a baby, but how was she doing otherwise?"

"She wasn't a delicate flower, if that's what you mean. She tired more easily than other children, but other than that, she was a normal child."

"Let me ask you about Alexandra," Brinker said. "Your wife told us that Alexandra was emotionally disturbed. Did you ever see any evidence of this? Was there any evidence that she was perhaps jealous of Grace?"

"When she was younger, Alexandra was capable of throwing tremendous tantrums and she could be quite willful at times, but I don't believe that she was jealous of her sister. Alexandra's very bright. When she was younger, I'd take her with me on my trips because she was always so poised. I finally stopped taking her on the trips about two years ago," he sighed in remembrance.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"Elizabeth insisted that I was spoiling her. She said that it wasn't good for her to get a swelled head."

"But you didn't agree with her decision?" Mike guessed.

"No, I didn't. Margaret was in college and Elizabeth was always so tied up with Gracie. I think that Alexandra felt like she didn't belong. I enjoyed the trips with her. We'd play chess and she was perfectly capable of carrying on conversations in many languages with my business colleagues. If she's done this, I really don't understand why."

"Did Alexandra ever complain to you about her stepmother?" Mike asked.

"Only to say that she wouldn't let her watch more television than she wanted to, but I don't think a lot of telly is good for any child, so I told her that I agreed with her stepmother. Alexandra didn't like it, but she knew better than to argue."

"So, she just complained about TV. She never complained about anything else?" Brinker asked.

"No, why would she?"

"You never noticed that Alexandra and Margaret seemed to walk on eggshells around your wife?" Brinker asked in disbelief. "They never seemed afraid of her?"

"Lieutenant, why don't you quit beating around the bush and get to the point? Are you saying that Elizabeth beat the children? Do you have doctor's reports to substantiate this ridiculous claim?"

"She didn't beat them," Mike chimed in. "At least, not as far as we know. When you were home, how much contact did you have with the children?"

"I saw them at mealtimes, and when I went up to their rooms to see them."

"So, you never watched TV as a family? You never went to the park or to the zoo? You never went out on outings as a family?" Mike asked. "Did you ever ask yourself why?"

"Sergeant, I never did those things with my family as a child and neither did my wife. Why would I think that my wife would suddenly want to do these things with our children? If I went on outings to the zoo or the park as a child, it was my nanny who took me."

"Margaret told us that when her mother was alive, you didn't want them raised with nannies or whatever you want to call them. Why did this change when you re-married?" Mike asked.

"Elizabeth is on the board of several different charities," Smyth explained. "She's out of the house several hours a day almost every day. This is not conducive with raising children. The nurse would've only been employed until Grace became of school age."

"So, Maggie and Alexandra had nurses until they started school?" Brinker asked.

"Isn't that what I just said? Actually, Maggie never had a nurse because she was 15 when I married Elizabeth. Alexandra only had one for a very short time."

"So, who cared for Alexandra after you discharged her nurse?"

"The housekeeper. After all, that's what I pay her for," he said waspishly. "May I ask when the morgue will be releasing Grace's body? Her mother and I would like to plan her funeral."

"I'll speak to the M.E. today and get back to you. It shouldn't be more than a few more days," Brinker said dismissively.

"Will Alexandra be at this hearing tomorrow?"

"Yes," Mike told him.

"If you gentlemen have no further questions, I need to see to my wife," Smyth said as he rose to his feet and shook each of their hands.

"We'll call you if we have any more questions," Brinker said as he escorted Mr. Smyth from the squad room before returning to his desk and sitting down. "So, what did you think?"

"I don't know," Mike sighed. "If he received the call at six o'clock Hong Kong time, that means that Elizabeth called him at three in the morning local time."

"He also doesn't know that there was no longer a baby nurse. I wonder when we should spring that bit of news on him."

"I think I'll take my lunch in the park," Mike said as he looked at his partner, who only grinned in response.

When Mike entered the park near the Smyth home that afternoon, he was struck at once by the differences between this particular park and the one near his own home where he spent many afternoons with Mary Kate. The park where he took his daughter was usually filled with parents and their children. This park was filled with nannies and their small charges. He approached a bench where three nannies were gossiping as their charges played on the nearby playground equipment. They looked up suspiciously as Mike walked toward them. "If you're immigration, we're not saying anything," one of the young women spoke up.

"Sgt. Danko, SCPD," Mike flashed his shield. "I'm investigating the death of a child by the name of Grace Smyth. I understand she used to come here with her nurse."

"How'd she die?" Another woman asked.

"I don't know. That's what I'm investigating. Do you know her nurse?"

"She doesn't work for the Smyth's anymore," the woman said. "She said that the bitch fired her before Thanksgiving."

"Do you know how I can find her?"

"No, I haven't seen her since she told us about getting fired."

"What about you two ladies?" Mike asked the other two. "Have you seen Paloma Rivera since she was fired?"

"The bitch fixed it so nobody will hire her," one of the other women said. "But, she has family in Westwood. They might know where she is."

"Did Paloma happen to say why Mrs. Smyth fired her?"

"No. She'd bring Grace up here every day and sometimes the older girl, too. The older girl was more of a mother to the baby than her bitch mother was. That's what Paloma told us. She was a real good older sister."

"Here's my card," Mike handed each of the nannies an engraved card with his information on it. "Please call me if you think of anything else."

"Her mother murdered her, didn't she?" One of the nannies asked as Mike started to walk away.

"I don't know," Mike answered honestly as he walked back to his car. He started the car and drove to a nearby pay phone, where he called Brinker. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is the nannies knew Paloma Rivera. The bad news is she might be in Westwood, living with family."

"Danko, do you have any idea how many Rivera's there are living in Westwood?"

"I have a feeling that I'm about to find out," Mike sighed as traffic rushed by.

"Okay," Brinker sighed. "Get back here and let's start dialing."

***MJMJMJ***

Jill was stirring a pot on the stove when Mike walked into the house later that evening, looking tired and dejected. "Hi, sweetheart," she greeted him as he walked over and kissed her. "Can you taste this for me?"

Mike took a taste from the spoon she held out for him. "It tastes okay. I take it that we're having spaghetti," he guessed as she added a few more seasonings to the pot on the stove. "Hey, I just said that it tasted fine. Why are you adding more stuff?"

"Because I think that it needs more stuff, not that I don't value your opinion," she smiled sweetly at him. "Willie, Jen, and the kids are coming for dinner. They'll return Mary Kathryn when they do."

"Oh, I knew that it was far too quiet around here," he grinned as he slipped an arm around Jill and drew her close. "So, how much time do we have?"

"Not even enough for a quickie," she teased as she kissed him again. "They're going to be here in about 10 minutes. Which means you have just enough time to take a shower and set the table for me."

"Okay," he mumbled reluctantly as he kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

***MJMJMJ***

At the Gillis home, Jen was tossing a salad when Alexandra came into the kitchen. "What're you doing?" She asked.

"Making a salad to take to the Danko's house for dinner," Jen explained as she looked at the young girl. "What're the kids doing?"

"Playing in Thomas' room. Do you eat at the Danko's house all the time?"

"Not all of the time, but quite a bit. Or they eat over here. We're one big happy family."

"But, you're not related."

"I used to tell William that when I first met all of his friends, but I soon realized that you can be family with someone without being related to them. You'll see what I mean," she smiled as William entered the room with a child under each arm.

"Are we about ready? Mike called and he wants his daughter back," Willie said as he adjusted the bundle under his left arm as Mary Kate squealed with delight.

"Yeah, we're ready. Alexandra, why don't you rescue Thomas from his father? Do you want to take the wagon?" Jen asked William.

"Wagon! Wagon! Wagon!" Both children began chanting excitedly as Alexandra looked at William and Jennifer.

"No, I think we can walk it," William decided as he set the kids on the floor. "Thomas has a Radio Flyer wagon that we use to take him and Mary Kate to the park," he explained to Alexandra. "It's his favorite mode of transportation, but we're only going three houses down the street. I think they can walk."

Mike was setting the table when the doorbell rang. "I've got it!" He called out to Jill, who was checking on the garlic bread that was toasting in the oven. He opened the door as Mary Kate leaped into his arms. "Hi, sweetie," he kissed her as he stepped aside to let everybody in.

Alexandra held herself back as she followed Willie, Jennifer, and the two children into the house, where they all walked toward the kitchen. "I brought a salad, Jill," Jen announced as she handed the bowl to Jill.

"Oh, thank you. We'll be ready to eat as soon as the bread is ready. So did you have any trouble today?" Jill smiled as she glanced at Alexandra.

"Oh, no. Alexandra was a huge help. I'd forgotten what it was like to actually get chores done around the house," Jen smiled at the girl, who shyly returned her smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mike approached the group. "Alexandra, this is my wife, Jill."

"We met this morning when I dropped off Mary Kathryn," Jill smiled at her husband. "Why don't you put her in her high chair?" She pointed at their daughter. "And, please don't forget her bib."

Alexandra watched everybody as they sat down to dinner and began to eat. Everybody was talking and sharing stories about their day, much different than when she'd had dinner at home with Elizabeth, Grace, and occasionally, her father. At those times, she was expected to eat and not say a word. "So, what did you do today?" Willie asked Mike as he sprinkled parmesan cheese on his spaghetti.

"Well, for one thing I learned just how many Rivera's live in Westwood," Mike sighed as he took a swallow of his wine.

"You were looking for Paloma?" Alexandra asked as she put down her fork. "Did you find her?"

"No," Mike said regretfully. "Did she ever mention the names of any relatives to you?"

"No, she never talked about her family. This is very good," Alexandra smiled at Jill as she once again began to eat.

"Thank you."

After dinner, Jill and Jen cleaned up after the kids before sending them out into the backyard to play on the swings. Alexandra excused herself and went outside with them. "I can't believe how much help she was," Jen told the other adults as they watched Alexandra go out to the swings. "If I'd known how much help a pre-teen could be, I would've had William recruit one for us a long time ago. The kids absolutely adore her."

"One of the nannies in the park this morning commented that Paloma would sometimes bring Alexandra with her when she took Grace to the park. She said that Paloma told them that Alexandra was more of a mother to Grace than her own mother was," Mike related the conversation he'd had with the nannies in the park.

"You said that the M.E. still doesn't know how Grace died?" Willie asked as Mike shook his head.

"She's waiting for the blood work to come back, but there's nothing on her body to indicate a cause of death," Mike said as he looked over at Jill, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Is something on your mind, babe?"

"Did she check for puncture marks?" Jill asked as Mike and Willie exchanged puzzled looks. "Needle marks. I was looking through one of my reference books and remembered something about a drug called succinylcholine. We sometimes use it when we insert a trach tube. It paralyzes the muscles so the patient isn't able to pull out the tube and dislodge it."

"I'd think this wouldn't be something that the average person would just have laying around their medicine cabinet," Mike pointed out.

"No. If a person knows how to use the drug, they could probably get it," Jill answered back. "As they say, 'Money talks.' Mike, I've seen this stuff work. It completely paralyzes the person. Every muscle in the body. They can't move, can't breathe, but they're conscious of everything going on around them. I'm sure for a child it'd be an especially terrifying way to die."

"I'll call the M.E. in the morning and see if she can check for needle punctures. Would it show up on a tox screen?"

"No. It breaks down almost immediately after being administered. I don't know if there are any tests that could check for it. Do you want to ask Alexandra if she ever saw her stepmother with a hypodermic needle?" Jill asked as she glanced out to see the young girl pushing the two smaller kids on the swings.

"No, I don't want to ask her any more questions tonight. We talked to her father this morning. That was interesting," Mike sighed.

"Interesting how?" Jen asked.

"He just didn't act like a father whose child has just been murdered. He didn't seem particularly interested in seeing either Alexandra or his other daughter Maggie. Plus, he came to the interview wearing a suit that probably costs more than the three of us make in a month. He asked when Grace's body was going to be released and he wanted to know if Alexandra was going to be at the hearing tomorrow."

"Oh, the hearing," Jill looked at Jen. "Jen, I can take the morning off so that I can watch Thomas."

"No, it's all right," Jen assured her. "Ms. Callaghan told me that the hearing isn't going to last very long. I think I can keep the kids from bouncing off of the walls for a few minutes. Thanks for offering though."

***MJMJMJ***

The next morning, Willie, Jen and the three children were sitting in the courtroom. Or, rather, Willie, Jen, and Alexandra were sitting. Thomas and Mary Kate were running all over the chairs, screeching at each other. Jen sighed as she grabbed her son and sat him down next to her for the tenth time. "You have to be quiet in here," she warned him as the doors opened behind them.

Alexandra turned as her father and stepmother entered the room. "Daddy," she whispered in delight as her father turned and looked at her before he took a seat with Elizabeth on the opposite side of the room. Tears glistened in the young girl's eyes at the rejection. He thought that she did it, too, she thought to herself as Mary Kate tried to dart past her. "Mary Kate, sit up here by me," she whispered as she lifted the tiny girl onto the chair beside her.

Elizabeth's eyes opened wide in surprise at the sight of the little girl sitting by Alexandra. "It worked," she whispered in delight as her husband turned to glare at her.

"Whatever are you babbling about?" He asked as he glanced across at his daughter and the strange little girl at her side.

Elizabeth didn't have a chance to respond as the courtroom door opened and the bailiff called the court to order. The judge entered the room and sat in his chair at the bench. "Ms. Callaghan, I understand that you've made arrangements for the minor child, Alexandra Smyth," he looked at the social worker from the bench.

"Yes, your honor. It's all in my report."

"Very well. Mr. Smyth, I'll allow you to have supervised visits with your daughter. These visits will be supervised by the Department of Social Services. I also want a court appointed psychologist to meet with the child on a regular basis. I'm to assume that the investigation is still on-going."

"Yes, your honor."

"Mr. Gillis, are the arrangements working out satisfactorily?"

"Yes, your honor," Willie said as he stood up.

"Very well. Then the arrangements will stand as stated in Ms. Callaghan's report," the judge banged his gavel, indicating that the hearing was over.

After the hearing was over, Alexandra raced over and tightly embraced her father. "I missed you, daddy," she said as she hugged him. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"Until after Grace's funeral," her father said as he brusquely removed his daughter's arms from around his waist. "Listen, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to attend Grace's funeral."

"Why?" Alexandra asked as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"It would just be too upsetting for your stepmother. You understand that, don't you?" He looked down at her in disdain.

"I thought that Maggie was going to be here today. She told me on the phone that she was going to be here," Alexandra said, her voice beginning to rise hysterically.

"I called Margaret last night and told her that it would be best if she didn't miss class for this. After all, you would've just seen her for a few moments. Now, you run along and I'll see you before I fly back to Hong Kong," he said as he stepped away from her and prepared to follow Elizabeth out of the courtroom. "Go on, Alexandra. Mind what I say now."

Willie and Jennifer were standing outside when the Smyth's exited the courtroom, followed seconds later by Alexandra, who was doing her best not to cry at her father's rejection of her. Looking at her, Willie wondered just what had transpired between the young girl and her father. Whatever it was, it didn't appear to have gone too well.

Once again, Elizabeth stared hungrily at Mary Kate. Meeting her eyes, Jen found herself becoming very uncomfortable. "I can't believe that it worked so well," Elizabeth breathed as her husband once again turned to stare at her.

"Elizabeth, what are you babbling about?" He asked once again as he looked over at Jennifer, who was holding Mary Kate in her arms. The little girl with the curly dark hair looked amazingly like Grace, but of course he knew it wasn't her. "For heaven's sake, that child isn't Grace! Come along, let's go home. I'll call Dr. Livingston when we get home to give you a sedative. Lord knows you've been under tremendous strain."

"Are you okay?" Willie asked Alexandra as they watched her father and stepmother waiting for the elevator. "Hey, I know it's hard not being with family, but hopefully it won't be for long."

"He thinks I did it," Alexandra whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Why does everybody think it was me?"

"I don't know. Sgt. Danko and his partner are doing their best to prove that it wasn't you," Willie consoled her. "Are you hungry? I know a place that has terrific pancakes."

"I'm not hungry, but it's okay if you want to eat," she looked up at him with eyes that were full of misery.

Back at the precinct, Mike had passed along to Brinker what Jill had said the night before about the succinylcholine. "It's as good a theory as any. Call up the M.E. and have her check for needle marks," Brinker ordered Mike, who picked up the phone and did as he was instructed.

Back at the Gillis house, Jen made breakfast for everybody. She watched Alexandra as she did so. The girl sat at the picnic table in the backyard staring into space. "Mommy?" Jen turned as she heard her son call her.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Is Alexandra going to live with us forever and be my big sister?" The little boy asked.

"No, she's just visiting for a few days. Do you like her?" She asked as she mixed pancake batter in a bowl.

"She read '_Charlotte's Web' _yesterday and she does all the voices," he grinned.

"I'm glad that you like her, but pretty soon you're going to have a baby brother or sister to play with," she said as Thomas made a face. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted a baby."

"You can't play with a baby," he grumbled as he turned and left the room as Willie came in.

"What's wrong with Thomas?"

"I think he's confused about the new baby situation. Do you think one of us should go out and talk to her?" She nodded toward Alexandra.

"I'll go," he volunteered as he opened the back door and went outside. Alexandra looked up as he sat down at the table beside her. "You know that you don't have to be so polite. It's okay to be upset."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"My mom died when I was a kid."

"Did you also have a stepmother?"

"No, my dad never remarried. I used to get mad at him because he wanted everything done his way. He wanted my older brother to be a dentist, so that's what my brother became. He sort of picked my sister's husband for her. Well, I drew the line when it came to me."

"What did he do?"

"Well, he yelled a lot," Willie smiled in remembrance. "But, my mind was made up. I came here from this little town in Ohio where everybody knows everybody. I became a police officer. About a year after I became a police officer my father got sick. He put this huge guilt trip on me about how I owed him because I hadn't done what he wanted me to do. So, I went back home and took care of him until he died. But, I didn't realize until after he died how angry I was at him. So, what I'm trying to say is its okay for you to be angry at your father. It doesn't make you a bad kid."

"Maggie was supposed to be there today. I miss my sister," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "My father called her and told her that she shouldn't miss class just to see me. I just can't believe that he thinks that I hurt Grace!"

"Alexandra, the important thing is that you know you didn't do it. The rest is going to fall into place. Mike . . . Sgt. Danko is a good cop. Believe me when I tell you that he and his partner are going to get to the bottom of this," he smiled at her as he stood up. "Now, Jen is making pancakes and I happen to know that she makes the world's very best pancakes. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Me, too," Alexandra smiled back as they went back into the house.

***MJMJMJ***

At the Smyth home, Elizabeth refused the sedative that had been ordered by the family doctor. The only thought on her mind was the sight of seeing Grace, alive and well. She'd never looked better. The procedure had worked even better than she'd hoped for. Now she had to work on getting her back from those people who'd taken her from her family. She picked up a small bell on the end table and gave it a few shakes. Within minutes, a blue uniformed maid entered the room. "Yes, Missus?" The woman asked respectfully.

"Agnes, bring me the phone book," she ordered as the maid left the room, returning moments later with the thick book. Elizabeth flipped it opened to the 'G's.' She figured that there couldn't be that many Gillis' and she was right. She was about to pick up the phone and start dialing when it rang. "Hello?"

"I've missed you. Are you free?" She smiled at the sound of the delicious male voice on the other end of the line.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm unavoidably detained for the next several days," she cooed into the receiver.

"I read about the kid in the paper. It was your kid, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but it was all a huge misunderstanding. Grace is fine and I'll be reclaiming her in the next few days," she told the mystery man.

"Liz, I don't understand. You're always telling me that the kid was a giant pain in the ass. So, are you now telling me that your kid isn't the one that we . . . "

"Not another word, Brad," she warned. "You never know when someone might be listening. I'll call you in a few days."

Before Brad had a chance to respond, Elizabeth quickly ended the call. He was such a good-looking boy and oh-so-talented in the bedroom department, but he had a brain the size of a pea. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to enlist him and his surfer friends to help her, but she knew she couldn't have done the deed alone. "Who was on the phone, my dear?" Harrison asked as he walked into the room, carrying _The Wall Street Journal_.

"Someone inquiring about Grace's funeral," she lied as she looked at her husband. "Why is that stupid medical examiner taking so long? It's plain as the nose on your face that Grace had a heart condition."

"I thought you said that the nanny saw Alexandra smothering her," he looked at his wife in confusion.

"Oh, she did," Elizabeth quickly said. "But, I'm sure the heart condition didn't help matters. But, things will be all right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. Everything's going to be fine. But, I do want to start making funeral arrangements. Call up that M.E. and demand to know what's taking so long," she ordered her husband.

Harrison Smyth sighed as he left the room. Elizabeth was exactly like her mother. She wanted things to be done immediately and damn the consequences if they weren't. She didn't even seem particularly heartbroken by her daughters' death or about the allegations that her stepdaughter was responsible. He'd been delighted to see Alexandra that morning, but Elizabeth had made it very clear before they'd arrived at the courthouse that she didn't want him fawning over her. After all, she was spoiled enough as she was.

That afternoon at the Gillis', Jen was fixing dinner when Alexandra entered the room and sat at the counter to watch her. "The kids are playing Lego's in Thomas' room. Hopefully, they can play without killing each other," she reported to Jen.

Jen smiled as she thought over the myriad small wars she and Alexandra had diffused that day. It was like that sometimes with the two kids. Thomas, being almost two years older, liked to be the boss. Mary Kate, who was beginning to assert her independence, didn't always like that idea. "As soon as Jill calls, you can walk her home if you'd like."

"We're not eating over there tonight?" Alexandra asked, somewhat disappointed.

"No. We don't eat over there every night. The Danko's have their lives and William and I have ours."

"So, do you want another boy or a girl this time?" Alexandra asked, referring to the baby.

"Well, William would love another boy, but I'd like a little girl this time."

"Do you have any names picked out?"

"Natalie. That was my grandmother's name."

"Maggie was named for my grandmother. My dad told me that they got my name from some Russian novel. I don't know which one."

"What about Grace?"

"I'm not sure. I think she was named after a relative, too. One just doesn't ask Elizabeth questions about things like that. You didn't ask her questions about anything unless it had to do with fashion or shoes. She must have about a zillion pairs of shoes," Alexandra shook her head at the memory.

Jen was about to say something further when the phone rang. "Hello? Well, I was going to send Alexandra over to your house with her when you're ready. Let's just say it's been a long day. Toys have been used repeatedly as weapons all day long. No, they're both fine. No blood and no broken bones. Okay, Alex will bring her over to you in just a few minutes."

"Nobody's ever called me Alex before," Alexandra said when Jen hung up the phone. "I know my father hated it because he said Alexandra kind of flows off of the tongue."

"If you don't like it, I won't call you Alex again. I was just thinking that it might be easier for the kids to say. It's up to you. In the meantime, why don't you get Mary Kate and her things and walk her home," Jen smiled as Alexandra nodded in agreement.

Mary Kate was delighted to have Alexandra all to herself as they began walking the short distance between the Gillis' home and the Danko's. Mary Kate was hopping up and down and chattering unintelligibly as Alexandra held her hand in hers. Glancing down the street, she saw the dark car that was parked several houses down. She knew without a doubt that it was Elizabeth's dark Mercedes Sedan and she wondered what her stepmother was doing in this neighborhood. "Mary Kate, let's hurry," Alexandra urged the small girl along as she practically ran the rest of the way to Mike and Jill's where she frantically rang the doorbell.

Seeing that she'd been spotted, Elizabeth quickly sped away. At least she knew she had the right neighborhood, which was all she'd wanted to know.

Jill opened the door, happy to see Mary Kathryn, but shocked at how pale Alexandra looked. "Alexandra, is something wrong?" She asked as she ushered the kids into the house.

"Elizabeth was parked up the street! I don't know why she was, but I know her car," she said, frightened and clearly out of breath.

Jill opened the door and looked up and down the street. She didn't see any strange cars. Closing the door, she turned to Alexandra. "Well, if she was there, she's gone now. Come on, I'll get you something to drink."

Alexandra stopped in the living room, staring at a huge bookcase full of books. She hadn't noticed them the night before when she'd been here for dinner. "Have you read all of these?" She called out as Jill reappeared with a glass of water.

"Most of them. Do you like to read?" Jill asked as she watched Mary Kathryn race around the room.

"Oh, yes. When you open a book, you step into a whole different world," Alexandra smiled.

"You're welcome to borrow a book if you want to."

"Mike . . . Sgt. Danko won't mind?"

"No, Mike won't mind. You don't have to be so formal," Jill said as she went to see what Mary Kathryn was into. "I understand the kids were beating each other up today," she said as she checked her daughter for bruises.

"They were hitting each other with blocks and at one point toy cars. It was brutal," Alexandra said in remembrance. "But, you don't have to worry about her. I think she can take care of herself."

"That's good to know," Jill laughed. "Stay here until Mike or Willie gets home and I'll see that you get escorted home safely."

"Thank you."

When Mike got home an hour later, Jill told him about Alexandra sighting Elizabeth's car. "Was she sure?" He asked as he fixed a bowl of salad.

"Well, I didn't see anything, but Alexandra appeared pretty shaken up by it. Did you talk to the M.E. about the needle marks?" She asked as she cut up Mary Kathryn's food.

"Yes, and she did find one. She took pictures and tissue samples, but the body has now been released to the funeral home. Mr. Smyth started calling and making noises about calling his attorney, so we decided to let them have the body. The M.E. said she has the evidence that she needs. What happened to her forehead?" Mike asked, referring to a reddish mark on his daughter's forehead.

"She and Thomas were beating each other up today. She's fine," she assured him. "Are you going to check into whether Elizabeth was over here or not?"

"Jill, I can investigate it, but keep in mind that Alexandra is still adjusting to things. She could've been seeing things. I'll talk to Brinker and see what he wants to do," he said in an attempt to mollify his wife.

Jill was about to say something further when the phone rang. She got up and went to answer it. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Sgt. Danko please?" A woman with a heavy Spanish accent asked.

"Hold on, please," she looked over at Mike and held the receiver out to him. "It's for you. I think we need to think about a second line for your police calls."

"I agree," Mike wiped his mouth as he got up and took the phone from Jill. "Hello?"

"Sgt. Danko, this is Paloma Rivera. One of my friends called and told me that you were looking for me. She said that you have some questions about Grace Smyth."

"Yes, I do. I'm glad that you called me," he said as he looked over at Jill, who was trying to get Mary Kate to eat.

"I'm working for another family, but they've agreed to let me have tomorrow morning off," she gave him an address and a time before ending the call.

"Who was that?" Jill asked as Mike returned to the table.

"Paloma Rivera. I'm meeting her tomorrow morning."

**A/N: Just a quick note to let readers know that I'm not confused regarding the Danko child's name. Jill is the only person who exclusively refers to her daughter as 'Mary Kathryn.' To everybody else she's 'Mary Kate.' The same goes for Willie Gillis. In the pilot, he comments that he doesn't like being called 'Willie.' So, it would make sense that his wife doesn't think of him as 'Willie.' He's 'William' to her. Please read and review. It's been a very long time since I've posted anything to , so I'm getting my groove back.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: Nope, still don't own them.**

**Summary: Mike meets with Paloma Rivera as the investigation continues. More of the pieces begin to fall into place.**

**Elizabeth begins stalking her prey.**

Chapter 5: So, What is the Truth, Anyway?

Mike walked into the detective's squad room carrying a cup of coffee. He was surprised to find that he was there before Brinker. He sat down at his desk and picked up the phone, dialing the number of Serena Hall. Fortunately, he found her in her office. "Ms. Hall, his is Sgt. Michael Danko. Yesterday afternoon, Alexandra saw a car that she thinks might belong to her stepmother."

"Did anybody else see the car?"

"No. By the time my wife went out to check out Alexandra's story, the car had left the neighborhood."

"I'll call the judge and get an order preventing her from contacting Alexandra. Her father is only allowed to see her under supervision, anyway. If it was her stepmother, it sounds like an intimation tactic."

"I agree. I just wanted to let you know what was going on."

"I was going to stop by the Gillis' either today or tomorrow to check on Alexandra, anyway. I want to see how she's getting along."

"She seems to be getting along great from what I've seen. I know that my daughter and the Gillis' son absolutely love her," Mike relayed to her.

"I'll check on her this afternoon and I'll get an order against the stepmother."

Mike had just hung up when Brinker arrived, carrying his own cup of coffee. "What's going on?" He asked as he sat at his cluttered desk.

"I just got off of the phone with Ms. Hall. She's going to get a TRO against Mrs. Smyth. Alexandra thinks that she saw her car in our neighborhood yesterday. I also received a call from Paloma Rivera last evening. I'm meeting her at The Tea Bean and Leaf at ten this morning," Mike said.

"I was reading in this morning's paper that Grace Smyth's funeral is taking place Friday morning. One or both of us should be there to see how the mother reacts. How's the kid handling everything?"

"She seems to be fine. She gets along well with the Gillis' and the kids thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread. Did you want me to question her further? To see if she knows anything else?"

"Talk to Ms. Hall or Ms. Callaghan. If they think it's a good idea, go ahead and question her. We also need to get a search warrant to search the Smyth house. We need to see if we can find any hypodermic needles as well as whatever drug she might've injected into that kid. I also want to conduct an experiment," Brinker looked at Mike.

"What kind of an experiment?"

"Alexandra told you that Grace's bedroom was far enough from her room that she didn't hear anything, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's what she told me and Ms. Hall."

"We need to check that out. So, let me call a judge and I should have the warrant by the time you get back from interviewing Ms. Rivera," Brinker picked up his phone.

Later that morning, Mike drove down Sepulveda Boulevard until he found the address of The Tea Bean and Leaf where he was meeting Paloma Rivera. He parked his car, and entered the establishment, looking around as he walked up to the counter where he bought a coffee and a cinnamon roll. Turning around, he spotted a young woman sitting at a table by herself, staring into her coffee cup. "Ms. Rivera?" He asked as he approached her table.

"I am if you're Sgt. Danko," she said in return as he showed her his badge and identification. She nodded for him to join him as he sat down at the table across from her. "Is Alejandra all right?" She asked, using the Spanish pronunciation of Alexandra's name.

"She's fine," Mike was quick to assure her.

"You think that Mrs. Smyth did something to Grace?" She asked as her eyes filled with tears.

"It's an ongoing investigation, so I really can't say anything more about that. How long did you work for the Smyth's?" He took out his notebook.

"Mrs. Smyth hired me when Grace was born, but I didn't start working for them until Grace was two months old. She was in the hospital a long time when she was born."

"What was the Smyth's like to work for?"

"As long as I did what the missus wanted, everything was fine. Mr. Smyth wasn't there that often, so I didn't have much contact with him. Missus made it clear to me that she didn't want to hear anything from either of the children," Paloma said, confirming what Mike had heard from other people.

"Were you Alexandra's nanny, as well?"

"No, Alejandra didn't have a nanny. When I first began working for the Smyth's, I didn't even know there was another child."

"I don't understand," Mike said. "Alexandra wasn't living there?"

"No. She was away at school. I don't know exactly what happened, but about five or six months after I began caring for Grace, Alejandra was suddenly there. Mrs. Smyth seemed angry about her being in the house. She was horrible to her. I didn't understand why because Alejandra is very sweet," she smiled as Mike nodded in agreement.

"I know. I've met her. How was Mrs. Smyth horrible to her?"

"She'd break her things if Alejandra made the least little bit of noise. Or, she'd lock her in the closet all day long. Mrs. Smyth got very angry at me when I begged her to let her out. She told me that my business was Grace, and if I wanted to keep my job, I needed to mind my own business. I tried to look the other way, but it was so hard."

"How was Mrs. Smyth regarding Grace?"

"She'd come up to visit Grace once a day and hold her for maybe five minutes. When Grace was old enough to eat with the family, she arranged for her to eat her dinner upstairs with me and Alejandra. Except when Mr. Smyth was home. Then she wanted to act like they were all one big happy family, like the Brady Bunch. I hated it. If I hadn't loved both of those girls so much, I would've quit."

"Alexandra told me that her stepmother fired you . . . "

"Yes," she nodded. "I don't know why. I was doing my job exactly as she wanted me to. I do know that I said something to the upstairs maid about Grace. She must've repeated what I'd said to the missus."

"What did you say to the maid regarding Grace?"

"I had one day and one night off a week. Mrs. Smyth had long ago told me that the children were in good hands on my time off. She said that she had someone coming in during that time who could give Grace her medications, but I think she was lying to me. I think that she was making Alejandra take care of her sister."

"Why do you think that?"

"Sometimes when I'd come back to the house after my time off, I'd find Alejandra sleeping in the nursery. I also started finding marks on both children. Alejandra would say that she'd fallen at school, but I know she was lying to me. She's very graceful."

"Do you know Margaret?"

"I only saw Miss Margaret a few times. She didn't come to the house very often. Alejandra once told me that it was because she hated her stepmother."

"So, you told the upstairs maid that you thought that maybe Mrs. Smyth was hurting the children," Mike clarified as Paloma nodded. "And you were fired right after that?"

"She told me that Mr. Smyth was going to move them to London to be near his family. She said that they'd hire another nurse when they arrived in London. Either that or she'd take care of the children herself, which almost made me laugh out loud. She couldn't stand to be near either of those children. I couldn't see her taking care of them."

"You said that Grace took medications. Were they given with a needle?"

"No, they were liquid medications that she swallowed. Why?"

"Do you know if Mrs. Smyth ever worked as a nurse?"

"I don't know. I don't think she ever worked at all."

"Does she know any medical people? Nurses or doctors that could get her medical supplies?"

"She's on the board of a lot of charities. I overheard her say that one of them was the children's hospital. Why are you asking all of these questions about needles and who she knew?"

"It's part of our investigation," he answered vaguely. "You told me last night that you found work with another family."

"Yes, no thanks to Mrs. Smyth. I got lucky because my new employers know her and don't like her. That's why they hired me."

"Alexandra mentioned a possible lover. Do you know anything about that?" Mike asked as Paloma bit back a smile and shook her head.

"I used to hear the maids whispering about phone calls. I don't think he ever came to the house, but they used to whisper about him calling all of the time. One of the maids said that he sounded very young."

"Thank you for talking to me," Mike said as he shook her hand, indicating that the interview was over.

"You're sure that Alejandra is all right?"

"She's fine. She's in a very safe place right now."

"Keep an eye on her, Sergeant. Mrs. Smyth is not a nice person. I don't think she'll like it if she thinks Alejandra is telling family secrets."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mike said as he stood up and left the restaurant. He needed to find a way to figure out who the mystery lover was. All he knew about him was he supposedly worked at The Brown Derby and that he was very young.

True to his word, when Mike returned to the precinct, Brinker was armed with a search warrant for the house in Brentwood. "How'd it go with the nanny?" He asked as they got into the unmarked and headed for their destination.

"Interesting. According to her, Elizabeth Smyth was probably physically abusing both children. She also said that when she first started working for the Smyth's, Alexandra was supposedly away at school. She said that things got ugly when she came back into the house."

"So the stepmother hates the step-kid and takes it out on both of them?" Brinker looked dubious as Mike shrugged.

"I want to ask Alexandra about being away at school," Mike said as Brinker got on the freeway.

Brinker pulled up in front of the Smyth's home and turned off the engine. "So, are they going to be cooperative or not?" He asked as they got out of the car and walked up the path to the front door.

"It doesn't matter how cooperative they are. We have a warrant," Mike reminded his partner, who grinned in response.

"Yes, we do," he said as he rang the bell. When the maid answered the door, he asked to speak to either of the Smyth's. She disappeared, but reappeared moments later and opened the door to let them in.

She led them into a sitting room, where she instructed them to sit. Closing the door behind her, she left them alone. Moments later, the door re-opened and both Smyth's entered the room. "May I ask what this is all about?" Mr. Smyth asked, outraged at the intrusion.

"Warrant, Mr. Smyth," Brinker shoved the document at the man, who took it and read it over before signing it. "That gives us access to the entire third floor. If you've signed it, I guess we'll get started."

"This is outrageous!" Mr. Smyth roared.

"Yeah, that's what they all say," Brinker said as he and Mike walked past the Smyth's and headed for the stairs.

Once they reached the third floor, they donned latex gloves and began searching everything, making sure that the warrant was visible as they worked. Mike found the utility closet that had been used as a sometime prison for Alexandra and opened it. The odor or bleach and other household cleaners assaulted his senses as he methodically searched the small closet. Finding nothing incriminating, he closed it and moved down the hall to a large bedroom containing a pink canopy bed and little else. He guessed that this had been Alexandra's bedroom. There were no toys, although there were shelves of books. Jill had told him the night before what Alexandra had told her about books. He guessed if he lived in a house of horrors, books would be a great escape. He picked up various objects in the room, shaking them as he looked around. "Danko, can you hear me?" He heard Brinker's disembodied voice clearly through a box on the wall.

He walked over and found the intercom, pushing a button on it so that he could speak. "Where are you?"

"In the nursery. You've obviously found the intercom."

"Well, that dispenses one theory."

"Yep. Alexandra obviously heard her sister. Come down here," Brinker ordered.

Grace's nursery was a kid's dream bedroom. Decorated with nursery rhyme characters and every toy imaginable, it was the exact opposite of Alexandra's bare bones bedroom. "Did you find anything?" Mike asked as he looked around the bedroom.

"Listen to this," Brinker picked a doll up off of the bed and shook it. Both men could hear something rattling inside.

"It could be a music box. My daughter has several dolls that rattle when you shake them because of music boxes."

"We need to take it with us just in case. So, do you think that Alexandra lied about not hearing anything out of fear?" Brinker asked as he continued looking around the room.

"Yeah, but it's also possible that the intercom was turned off in here. Anyway, my wife told me that this particular drug paralyzes every muscle. So Grace couldn't have cried out even if she'd wanted to."

Mike walked over to the closet and opened it, reaching up into the top shelf and feeling around. His fingers closed on a thick book. He grunted as he pulled it down toward him. "What do you have there?" Brinker asked as he watched his partner.

"Do you have a pocketknife?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'd suggest performing an impromptu autopsy on that doll," Mike held out the book in his hands. It was a copy of _The Physician's Desk Reference_. "My wife keeps a copy of this book in our house. It contains every drug available. My guess is we're either going to find hypodermic needles or an empty vial of succinylcholine."

But when Brinker took out his pocketknife and slashed opened the doll, it was empty except for a music box. "Great! Now that I've murdered a baby doll, what's next, Einstein?"

Mike was about to reply when they heard the chiming of the doorbell, followed several minutes later by heavy footsteps on the stairs. "What is this malarkey regarding my wife staying away from Alexandra?" Mr. Smyth's voice boomed at them from the doorway.

"It's just a precaution," Mike told him.

"You're acting as if my wife is an ax murderer! I thought my daughter was also a suspect," he pointed out as the two cops looked at each other.

"Mr. Smyth, your daughter didn't die the way that your wife told you she did," Brinker told him. "She wasn't smothered, by Alexandra or anybody else."

"Then how did she die?" He asked, as he folded his arms over his chest, patiently waiting for an answer.

"We think that she was injected with a paralytic agent and suffocated that way. The baby nurse that your wife claims saw Alexandra standing over Grace's crib had been discharged in November. Were you aware of that?" Brinker asked as he continued holding the ruined doll in his hands.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this," Smyth said as he saw the doll in Brinker's hands. "Good God, man! What've you done to the dolly?"

"Evidence," he said. "I'd suggest hiring your wife a lawyer. I'm sure you know more than a few."

"Was your wife ever a nurse?" Mike asked.

"Of course not," the man scoffed in disgust. "Her father was a noted heart surgeon. He'd turn over in his grave if his daughter ever worked as a nurse."

"My wife's a nurse," Mike said in a tight voice.

"Bully for her. Are you almost done desecrating my daughter's room? If so, could you please leave?" He turned and left the room.

"I'm not leaving until I find needles or a vial," Brinker said as he looked at Mike. "I can't believe that he'd rather protect his wife than his daughter."

"Well, at least we know where she might've obtained the drugs. I'm sure that if her father was as noted as Smyth claims, his colleagues would probably help out his daughter," Mike told him.

"We need to check out this family's entire background, but the department will never go for it," Brinker sighed as he pulled back the coverlet on the crib and removed the mattress.

"Lt. Ryker is a private investigator now. I can talk to him," Mike offered as Brinker looked at him and nodded. "I can call him tonight."

Brinker finally gave up on the search for the needles and the vial, but before they left, he went downstairs and out to the trunk of the unmarked and brought up a roll of crime scene tape. He strung it across the doorway of both bedrooms before going back downstairs where he found the Smyth's in their sitting room. "We're leaving for today. Both of your daughter's rooms are potential crime scenes. I'm going to come back with crime scene techs. If I so much as find that crime scene tape _slightly _wrinkled, I'm going to haul both of you in for tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice."

Mike followed Brinker out where they both got into the unmarked. "Do you have kids, lieutenant?" Mike asked for the first time as Brinker started the car.

"Two sons. They live with ex-wife number two. I hate people who fuck with their kids," he said in a harsh voice as he pulled away from the curb.

***MJMJMJ***

When Serena Hall pulled up in front of the Gillis' home later that afternoon, the temperature was already hovering in the upper 90's. The heat seemed to shimmer off of the sidewalk as she walked up and rang the doorbell. She could hear peels of laughter that seemed to be coming from the backyard. Jen answered the door, wiping her hands on her shorts. "Ms. Hall, please come in," she stepped away from the door to let her in. "Everybody's in the back. It was so hot that I hooked up the water slide. Alexandra had never played with one before. Then William and Terry came home and got in on the fun."

Jen walked Serena through the house to the backyard where she saw two grown men and three kids piled up on top of each other at the end of the water slide, all of them laughing hysterically. Terry got up with a small child under each arm as they kicked and giggled. "William, I think that you have company."

"I'm actually here to talk to Alexandra. Can I borrow her for a little while?" Ms. Hall asked as Alexandra came across the yard. "Don't look so glum. You're not in trouble."

Alexandra pushed her wet hair from her face and sat at the picnic table across from Ms. Hall. "Did Sgt. Danko tell you that I saw my stepmother's car yesterday?"

"Yes and I took care of that. She has an order signed by a judge that prohibits her from intimidating you. Do you understand what that means?" Ms. Hall asked as Alexandra rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Ms. Hall, I have a 155 IQ. I know what intimidation means, but I also know Elizabeth. A stupid piece of paper isn't going to stop her. If she wants me to be afraid, she'll find ways to do it."

"Alexandra, what is it that she doesn't want you to talk about?"

"I told you everything," she said, far too quickly in Ms. Hall's opinion. She knew from experience that the girl was holding something back.

"Let's talk about the Gillis'," she changed the subject. "How do you like it here?"

"They're very nice. Jen was telling me today that they're going to have a birthday party for Mary Kate at the lake next month. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun."

"I just want you to know that if you're not happy here, I'll find you another place to stay."

"I like it here. At least I don't have to be quiet and I don't have to worry about making messes when I eat. And, I found out that the Danko's have a lot of books to read at their house," she smiled once again. "Can I go change clothes now?"

"Yes, go ahead," Ms. Hall dismissed her as the door opened and Terry stepped out, sipping a beer. "Were you having a good time reliving your childhood, Officer Webster?"

"Hey, if we wanted to have fun like that when I was a kid, we had to open a hydrant," Terry said as he sat down. "I've been waiting for you to call me about that date we were talking about."

"You were serious about that?"

"Of course I was serious about that. Do you know that if you and I were to go out, you'd be the first person I've dated in the last several years that hasn't been in the medical profession," he said as he finished his beer.

"So, Danko's wife sets you up with your girlfriends?"

"Constantly," Terry grinned. "She used to do the same thing to Willie until he got smart and got married."

"I've met Sgt. Danko's wife on more than a few occasions. She doesn't strike me as the type who'd set you up with dogs, Officer Webster," Ms. Hall grinned.

"It's Terry and she doesn't. It's just that it gets old after a while. After we talk about my job and her job, we run out of things to say."

"My mother used to say that I talked too much. I don't think you and I would ever run out of things to talk about," she teased.

"Do you like R&B music?" Terry asked as he finished his beer.

"Very much."

"How about listening to some music at The House of Blues on Friday night?" Terry asked.

"That sounds wonderful," she agreed. "Do you want me to meet you there or do you want to pick me up at my place?"

"Give me your address and I'll pick you up," Terry said as Serena removed a piece of paper from her purse and scribbled her address on it. "Terrific. I'll pick you up at about 7:30."

"I'm looking forward to it," she said as she got up from the picnic table.

Alexandra was reading on the living room sofa a short time later when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" She called out as she went to answer the door to find Mike and Jill standing there. "Hi," she greeted them as she stepped aside to let them in. "Jill, you're from the South, aren't you?" She looked at Jill.

"Alabama. Why?" Jill wanted to know. "How'd you know that?"

"You have an accent," Alexandra said as Jill made a face, and looked at Mike, who nodded in agreement.

"I don't have an accent," Jill argued as Willie came into the room. "Willie, do I have an accent?"

"Oh no, I'm not getting into the middle of this," Willie grinned, begging out of the discussion.

"Anyway, forget about that," Alexandra told Jill. "Did your family own slaves?"

"My family was too poor to own slaves. What're you reading?"

"_Gone With the Wind._ I'm almost done with it," she said as she walked over and sat back down as she picked up her book.

"Already? You just borrowed it last night," Jill looked at her husband, who merely shrugged.

"Alexandra, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" Mike asked as she closed her book.

"I'm popular today," she sighed as she put the book on the coffee table.

"I'm going to go see if Jen needs any help," Jill excused herself before leaving the room.

Mike sat down in Willie's recliner and put his hands on his knees as he leaned toward Alexandra. "I want you to trust me."

"I do."

"I can't help you if I don't know everything. I was at your house today and I found the intercom in your bedroom."

"What about it?" She asked, her defenses instantly raised. In many ways, she reminded Mike of Jill when he'd first met her with that guard constantly up.

"You told Ms. Hall and me that you didn't hear anything from Grace's nursery. The intercom was turned on, Alexandra. My partner talked to me from the nursery. Now, maybe you didn't hear anything from Grace the night that she died, but I know that couldn't have always been the case. Talk to me. If you talk to me, we can do something about putting Elizabeth where she belongs," he beseeched her as she blinked back tears.

"I didn't hear anything when Grace died. That's the truth," the young girl insisted. "Grace had to take medicine and she didn't like the taste of it. This didn't start right away, but Paloma was off on Wednesday's, so Elizabeth would have to give her the medicine, or she'd make Rachel do it," Alexandra closed her eyes as she remembered.

"Who's Rachel?"

"The upstairs maid."

"How often did Grace have to take the medicine?"

"Twice a day. In the morning when she got up and again at night before she went to bed. Grace didn't like the taste of the medicine, so she'd spit it out. Paloma always had tricks to make her take it and she tried to teach the tricks to Elizabeth and Rachel. Elizabeth didn't want to hear about the tricks. I'd be in my room and I'd hear Grace screaming because she didn't want to take her medicine. At first Elizabeth would curse at her to take it. Then, I guess the cursing stopped working."

"So, she started hitting her?" Mike guessed.

"I think Elizabeth was kneeling on her because Grace would have bruises on her stomach, but I'd also hear her slapping her. Then, a few weeks ago I heard Grace gagging. I thought it was just because she didn't like the medicine. I didn't blame her. I tried it once and it really didn't taste very good. But, then Grace said something about having to eat soap. I think Elizabeth didn't think that she could talk."

"Did Elizabeth ever hit you?" Mike asked as Alexandra's face went white.

"Who told you that she did?"

"Alexandra, please trust me. Did she ever hit you?"

"Did you ever see the movie 'Sybil?'" She asked as Mike nodded. "Do you remember when her mother tripped her on the stairs? That was Elizabeth's favorite form of torture. That and once when I dropped a plate in the kitchen, she threatened to stuff my hand down the garbage disposal and turn it on."

"Did you ever tell your father?"

"My father was only in town for about one week every two months, she acted like we were one big happy family. We got to eat in the dining room table and she didn't lay a hand on either of us. But, the minute he left, all bets were off."

"I understand that when Grace was born, you weren't living at home. I was told that you were away at school. Why were you brought home?"

"I wasn't away at school," Alexandra sighed. "When Grace was born, I was traveling with my father. I had a private tutor because no teacher could keep up with me. I mean, would you want to teach a seven-year-old who knows more than you do? I think that my father kept telling Elizabeth how cute and precocious I was and she didn't like it. She said I was getting spoiled. So, I was sent home and enrolled in private school."

"How was that?"

"It was okay. I had a teacher all to myself. He was the one who arranged for me to take the SAT's."

"So, where do you want to go to college?" Mike grinned at her.

"Harvard. Where do you think? By 20, I'll probably be running the joint," she said before she turned serious once again. "Do you think that you're going to arrest her pretty soon?"

"Sweetie, we're sure as hell going to try. Come on, let's go see if Jen has dinner ready," he said as he stood up and motioned for her to follow him.

After the table was set and everybody was seated, Jill once again brought up the conversation from earlier. "I don't have an accent," she insisted as Alexandra bit back a grin and Mike started to laugh. "I don't."

"Say the number that comes after four," Willie glanced over at Jill as Jen stared at him.

"Five," Jill said as Alexandra and both men started to laugh.

"It's okay, babe," Mike assured her as he took her hand. "It's not as bad as it was when I first met you. Back then, I almost needed a translator in order to understand what you were saying."

When they got home later that evening, Mike went to call Lt. Ryker while Jill gave Mary Kate a bath and got her ready for bed. Ryker listened while Mike told him about the case. "I can help you out, Danko, but only if the department approves it. That's how I get my money," his former boss and mentor told him.

"Yeah, I realize that. Let me talk to Brinker in the morning and see if he can run things up the chain of command. Then, I'll call you back."

"How's my goddaughter?" Ryker asked as Mike smiled.

"Growing like a weed. Jill and I were talking about having her second birthday out there at the cottage. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course. I'll even supply the stuff to barbecue," he offered as he and Mike ended their call.

Later that night, Mike was lying in bed as Jill finished getting ready to join him. "It's nice to see that Alexandra has a sense of humor," she said as she got into bed beside her husband.

"She's a kid. She's observant. For what it's worth, I think you're accent's cute," he grinned as he leaned over and kissed her.

The next morning, Mike walked Mary Kate over to Willie and Jen's. Jen answered the door when Mike rang the bell. "Good morning," she said as she took the diaper bag from Mike.

"Is Alexandra awake? I need to ask her a quick question," Mike said as Jen led him to the kitchen where Alexandra was eating breakfast with Willie and Thomas. "Alexandra, do you think you'd recognize Elizabeth's boyfriend if you ever saw him again?"

"Sure," she said as she put down her cereal spoon. "He was hard to miss. He looked like he should've been down in Venice surfing."

"How'd you like to go to lunch this afternoon?" He asked as she grinned. "I'll pick you up at around 12:30."

When Mike said that he was going to be somewhere at a specific time, he was as good as his word. He'd said 12:30 and he rang the doorbell at that time on the dot. Jen smiled as she answered the door. "I wish that William was as punctual as you are. While you're out to lunch with Alexandra, I'm going to go to the store. If I'm not back when you get home, just use your key to let her back in. I think she'll be okay for a little while by herself."

"You know, sometimes I think you should've hooked up with Terry. You make almost as many speeches as he does," Mike teased as Alexandra came downstairs. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll bring her back in an hour or so," Mike promised as he left the house with Alexandra. When they arrived at The Brown Derby, he turned toward her. "Do you remember where you sat when you were here with Elizabeth?"

"We had a table in the back," she answered as he approached the hostess, requesting a table in the back of the restaurant.

When the hostess led them toward the back, Alexandra started to sit in the booth facing the door when Mike stopped her. "Uh-uh. You sit on the other side," he ordered her as he sat down and the hostess handed them both menus.

"Why?" She asked as she began to look at the menu. When he didn't answer, she looked at him only to find him staring toward the front of the restaurant. "Mike? Sgt. Danko?" He finally looked at her. "Why do you have to sit on that side?"

"Force of habit," he answered cryptically as a waited approached their table. "Is this him?" He whispered as she looked at the waiter and nodded.

"Hi, I'm Brad. I'll be your server today," he chirped cheerfully. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Alexandra was right about one thing. Brad definitely looked like he'd be more at home in Venice than here in this restaurant. He looked to be in his early to mid-20's, with big muscles and sun-bleached hair. "I'll have an iced tea," Mike answered as he looked across the table to his lunch date. "How about you, Alexandra?"

"I'd like a coke," she answered, heaving a huge sigh of relief when it was obvious that Brad the bubble-headed waiter hadn't recognized her.

"I'll get your drinks and come back to get your lunch orders," he once again chirped as he walked away.

"I'm glad that he didn't recognize me."

"I think his brain cells are all in his biceps, so you have nothing to worry about. So, what're you having?" He asked as they made their lunch selections. After they ate, Mike walked up to the register to pay the bill. "Excuse me," he said to the cashier. "We had a waiter named Brad. Do you happen to know his last name?"

"Rogers," the cashier quickly answered as she gave Mike his change. "Why? Was there a problem with your service?"

"No, everything was great. I was just curious," Mike said as he led Alexandra out of the restaurant.

***MJMJMJ***

While Mike was out with Alexandra, Jen went to the market with the two children. She placed Mary Kate in the front of the basket while giving Thomas firm instructions to hold onto the side of the cart and to not wander off.

She first got the feeling that she was being followed while she was in the produce section looking at heads of cabbage for dinner. She turned around, but nobody was there. She shook her head and continued her shopping. She next went to the meat counter where she was checking out packages of ground meat. She stopped when Thomas began tugging on the hem of her shirt. "Mommy, who's the lady with the sunglasses?"

"What lady?" She asked as she turned around, only to once again find that there was nobody there. "Thomas, I don't see anybody."

"She went away," he answered. "But, she was watching us."

"I'm sure she wasn't watching us," she was trying to reassure herself as well as her small son. "Come on, let's finish up. Mike's going to be bringing Alexandra home soon."

The feeling that she was being followed stayed with her as she checked out and then began the short drive home. By the time she pulled into the driveway and pushed the button for the garage door, her nerves were shot. Which is why she let out a short scream when Mike touched her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry," he instantly apologized. "I thought that you saw me pull up to the curb. Let me help you take these in," he grabbed a couple of brown grocery bags as Alexandra followed suit.

"Alexandra, let Mike take those," Jen said in a much shorter tone of voice than she'd intended. "Why don't you take the kids inside?"

"You know, Jen, if Mary Kate's too much, Jill can always start taking her back to my mother's or the hospital day care," Mike offered as he placed the two bags on the kitchen counter.

"No," Jen argued as she began putting groceries away. "I like having her here. Besides, it gives Thomas someone to play with even if they do have their little wars sometimes."

"Well, I'd love to stay and help you, but I've gotta get back. Can I use the phone real quick?" He asked as Jen nodded. He went to the wall phone and quickly dialed Brinker's number. "Loo, it's me. I'm running a little late, but I have one quick stop to make so I'll see you in about half an hour or so." He hung up and smiled at Jen. "I'll see you this evening."

Mike left the Gillis' house and drove back to the restaurant in Hollywood. After parking his car in the lot, he walked back up to the restaurant and flashed his badge at the hostess, who stared at him in shock as he walked toward the back. Brad was at a table taking an order when Mike approached him. "May I help you, sir?" Brad smiled as he turned to face Mike.

"You can if you know Elizabeth Smyth," Mike answered as he flashed his badge and ID at Brad, who immediately dropped his order pad and fled. "Shit!" Mike shouted in frustration as he took off after the young man.

The chase took both the pursuer and the pursued down North Vine, around tourists who quickly jumped out of the way, through parking lots jammed with cars. It finally came to an end when Brad made the mistake of going down a dead end. He stopped when he came to a brick wall. Mike quickly grabbed him and pulled him roughly to the ground. "Do you want to know why I wanted to become a detective so badly?" Mike panted, trying to catch his breath as he cuffed his quarry. "It's so I wouldn't have to chase after scumbags like you in 100 degree heat!" Mike yanked Brad to his feet as a crowd began to gather. "I'm a police officer," Mike shouted as he showed the crowd his badge. "You have the right to remain silent . . . " he read him his rights as he made the long trek back down North Vine to his car.

Back at the precinct, Brinker looked up from his desk in surprise when Mike walked into the squad room, pushing Brad in front of him. "Who's that and where are you going with him?" Brinker asked as he got to his feet.

"His name is Brad Rogers. He's Elizabeth Smyth's boyfriend and I'm taking him to Interrogation Room One if you'd care to join me," Mike answered as he walked Brad in that direction.

"How'd you find him?" Brinker was intrigued as he grabbed his notebook and followed Mike. "What have you been doing all afternoon? I thought that you were going to lunch. Has he been read his rights?"

"Loo, I'm not an idiot!" Mike growled as he opened the door and shoved Rogers inside to a table where he removed the handcuffs.

"Didn't I serve you lunch? You and your daughter? Was there a problem with your service?" Brad asked innocently as Mike and Brinker sat down across from him at the table.

"You took your kid to look for a suspect?" Brinker looked at Mike in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? My kid isn't even two years old."

"We need to talk," Brinker said as he stood up and motioned for his partner to follow him. As soon as the door to the interrogation room closed, Brinker exploded in temper. "Let me get this straight. You took Alexandra Smyth to look for this guy? She's a minor, Sergeant, and right now I'm using that title very loosely. What if he'd recognized her and then notified her stepmother? You can't just manipulate the law the way that you want it to run, Danko. Let me just say that right now you're walking a very thin line."

"Lieutenant, Elizabeth Smyth didn't move that freezer into that storage unit alone. Her husband was out of town and the only male who works for the Smyth's is a gardener who happened to be off the morning of the 10th of January. So, I'm guessing that she used her little boy toy in there, along with maybe a few of his friends to assist her. Maybe they knew what was inside of that freezer and maybe they didn't. That's what I'm going to find out."

"Okay," Brinker relented. "Let's see what he knows. No more stupid moves, Danko. I mean it."

Mike and Brinker went back into the interrogation room and once again took seats across from Rogers. "How long have you known Elizabeth Smyth?" Mike asked. "Don't waste our time by saying that you don't know her because innocent people don't run when they're asked simple questions."

"Can I get some something to drink first? Then I'll tell you everything that I know," he said as he rubbed his face. After getting him something to drink, he looked at the two detectives. "I worked for the Smyth's as a pool boy several years ago right after I graduated from college. It was before she had the kid."

"Were the other two girls living there?"

"No. Elizabeth said that one of them was in college and the other one was with her old man. She always referred to them as pains in the ass. I always got the impression that she didn't like kids very much."

"Why'd you quit working for them?" Mike asked.

"She was constantly hitting on me. I was worried that the other help would notice and say something to her old man. So, I quit and got the job working at The Brown Derby. She found out that I was working there and started coming in quite a bit. One thing led to another and . . . " he looked at the two detectives.

"How long have you been having an affair?" Brinker asked.

"About a year and a half. She was always bitching about her husband being gone and being stuck in the house with the kids. I guess the baby had a heart problem or something. I only saw the kids a few times when she'd come into the restaurant with them. I told her later that I thought that they were cute kids."

"What did she say?" Mike asked.

"She said that they were monsters. She said that she couldn't forgive her husband for getting her pregnant with the baby. When I asked her why she didn't just get an abortion, she told me that if he found out, he'd divorce her and she wouldn't get anything. It was all about the money with Elizabeth. That's why I could never understand what she saw in me. I'm paying back college loans, so I'm always broke."

Brinker felt like telling the dumbass that what she saw in him was his dick, but he swallowed down the comment. "I thought that Elizabeth's family also has money," he said instead.

"They do, but I guess her mother has a pretty tight squeeze on the purse strings. I think she likes her son-in-law and wouldn't be too happy if the marriage ended."

"Did she contact you at the beginning of the year?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," he remembered. "It was right after Christmas, but before New Year's. She wanted to know if I knew anybody who had a freezer that she could have. When I asked her why she wanted the freezer, she said that she had some meat and stuff that she wanted to store."

"What did you tell her?" Mike asked.

"I told her that I'd ask around. When I did, an old college buddy of mine said that his parents had a chest freezer that they were selling. I called Elizabeth and told her. She told me to buy it and she'd reimburse me."

"Did she pay you back?" Mike wanted to know.

"Yeah."

"Was that the last time that you heard from her?"

"No," he shook his head. "About a week and a half after I took her the freezer, she called and asked if I could help her move the freezer into a storage locker that she'd rented."

"What time of the day did she call you?" Brinker asked.

"I'd worked all day, so it was after I'd gotten home that night. Probably around midnight," he remembered. "I thought it was strange that she was calling so late, but when I asked her about it, she said that she'd been trying to call all day, so it made sense."

"Did you agree to help her move the freezer?" Brinker asked.

"I told her that I'd help her, but then she said that she wanted to move it after it got dark the next night. She said that the place closed at six, but she didn't want me moving the freezer until the last possible minute. She said she wanted to make sure that nobody was around."

"Did you take help with you?" Mike asked.

"A buddy of mine from the restaurant. I asked her why she was being so secretive and she told me that the freezer was full of deer meat and she didn't want somebody stealing the freezer and stealing it. My buddy wanted to open the freezer because he said that it didn't feel very full to him, but I told him not to. The last thing you ever wanted to do was make Elizabeth mad."

"Brad, did you know what was in the freezer?" Mike asked.

"I do now after I read the paper," he said as his eyes filled with tears. "I called her the other day and even told her that I'd read about her little girl. She told me not to worry about it because it was a mistake."

"A mistake?" Mike looked puzzled.

"She was acting like her little girl wasn't even dead. She even said that she had plans to get her back very soon. I just thought that she was talking crazy and I got off of the phone. Am I in trouble?"

"Well, you ran from the police and you helped to dispose of a corpse, so yeah, you're in a bit of a pickle," Brinker told him. "But, we'll talk to the D.A. and see if we can't work something out. For right now, Sgt. Danko is going to take you down to Central Booking and get you booked, so that you can get arraigned and post bail."

***MJMJMJ***

Jen was in the kitchen making cabbage rolls for dinner when Thomas came traipsing in. Her mind was still on the possibility that she'd been followed that afternoon, so she wasn't in the best of moods to deal with her small son. "What're we having for dinner?" He asked as he tried to peer up at the top of the counter.

"Stuffed cabbage rolls. I'm making them special for your daddy and Mike," she said as she continued her work.

"No, mommy," he whined as he kicked at the cabinet. "Not cabbage! I don't like cabbage!"

"Thomas, stop it! Go play with your trains or something! If you don't like what's on the table, then don't eat it!" She shouted as the little boy turned and ran off as Jill walked into the kitchen.

"Bad day?" She asked as she walked up to her friend.

"Oh my God," she sighed as she picked up a dish towel and began sobbing into it. "He must think that I'm the worst mother in the world!"

"I'm sure that he doesn't think that," Jill consoled her. "He's too little to understand about pregnancy hormones. Come on and sit," she said as she guided her over to the dining room table. "Take a couple of deep breaths and tell me what's going on."

"Jill, have you ever had the feeling that someone's following you?" Jen looked at Jill, who instantly felt a sense of terror mixed with déjà vu.

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter ran so long. Some of my chapters are like that. Please read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimers: Do I have to? According to the rules, yes I must. I still don't own 'The Rookies' and never will.**

**Summary: Jennifer tells Willie her suspicions about being followed with predictable results. Elizabeth adds telephone calls to her arsenal of terror even as the police begin to close in on her.**

Chapter 6: Do I Have to Hear a Nursery Rhyme Before You'll Believe Me?

When Jennifer had asked about being followed, Jill felt her blood run cold. She remembered all too well that fear and the feeling that Mike didn't quite believe that it was happening to her. "Tell me what's going on," Jill told her friend as Jen wiped her eyes.

"When I was walking through the grocery store today, I kept getting the feeling that someone was watching me. Have you ever gotten that feeling? Like someone's eyes are on your back?" Jen asked as Jill nodded. "Then, Thomas asked me who the lady in the sunglasses was. When I turned around to look, there wasn't anybody there. Jill, Thomas is three years old! He isn't going to make up somebody who isn't there!"

"Well, that's not quite true. Small children have imaginary playmates, but I think if Thomas had one, we'd all know it by now," Jill told her. "Have you been getting phone calls?"

"No, why?"

"Have you told Willie?"

"No, it just started. Why are you asking me all of these questions?" Jen asked, her voice rising in terror.

"This happened to me a long time ago, but I understand how you feel. Mike arrested this guy after a warehouse burglary, so his brother tried to get revenge by stalking me. He'd call the apartment and not say anything. Once he shut off the lights and the phone while I was alone in the apartment. Mike thought that I was losing my mind. So did I, to tell you the truth. He finally caught the guy, but it put both of us through hell. Willie and Terry knew what was going on, also. Talk to Willie and tell him exactly what you've told me," Jill told her.

"What if he doesn't believe me?" Jen asked plaintively.

"That's a very real possibility," Jill admitted. "There were times when I didn't think Mike quite believed me. But, I know Willie loves you and like Mike, he'll do anything to protect you."

"Jill, what if I'm the one who's crazy? Like you said a little while ago, I'm pregnant and you know how crazy pregnancy hormones can make you," she said as Jill smiled in agreement. "It seems like ever since Alexandra saw that car, I've been imagining the boogey man behind every tree and bush."

"Thomas said that he saw a woman wearing sunglasses? Do you think that Thomas is crazy?" Jill asked as she suddenly spotted Alexandra watching them from the doorway, her eyes wide with fear.

"Alexandra?" Jen looked over as she looked at the pre-teen girl. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Do you think Elizabeth's following you?" She asked as her lower lip began to tremble.

"Alexandra, it's okay," Jill got up and put her arms around the shaking girl. "Let's not jump to any conclusions, okay? Right now, nobody's sure of anything."

"You didn't say how your lunch date with Mike went," Jen said as Jill looked at Alexandra in surprise. "Did you have a nice time?"

"I didn't know that you were having lunch with Mike," Jill said. "Where'd you go?"

"He took me to The Brown Derby. He wanted to see if he could find Elizabeth's boyfriend. Can I ask a question?" She asked as Jill nodded. "Why'd he get upset because of where I wanted to sit?"

"You tried to sit facing the front of the restaurant?" Jill asked as Alexandra nodded. "It's a long story, but mostly it has to do with being a cop. They like to sit so they can watch people coming in and out."

"Oh," the girl smiled as she seemed to understand. "I think that I'll go see what the kids are doing."

"What's the real story?" Jen asked after Alexandra had left the room. "William doesn't care where he sits when we go out."

"It's a story for another time," Jill said. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

***MJMJMJ***

Back at the precinct, Mike and Brinker were both finishing up reports. "I'm going to talk to a judge in the morning," Brinker said as Mike looked over at him. "I think with what young Mr. Rogers has told us, we have enough to pick up Elizabeth Smyth on a pre-meditated first degree murder warrant."

"I wonder how long she'd been planning it," Mike wondered out loud. "I also wonder exactly when she killed Grace. Rogers told us that she wanted the freezer delivered to the storage unit at closing time. From what Alexandra and the nanny both told me, Grace's bedtime was around seven or eight o'clock, so I find myself wondering just when she was killed."

"How fast did your wife say that stuff worked? That succinyl . . . whatever it's called."

"Within a minute."

"Are you going to be seeing Alexandra this evening?"

"Yeah, I'm having dinner with the Gillis'. Stuffed cabbage," Mike smiled as Brinker made a face. "My wife won't make it either. It's one of my favorites. Anyway, what do you want me to ask her?"

"Ask her if she remembers what time she saw her sister on the day before she was taken to the school. My thinking is Elizabeth Smyth enrolled her into the school the morning after Grace's death so that Alexandra wouldn't question where her sister was. It's kind of hard to hide the fact that your three-year-old daughter is missing."

"Will do," Mike said as he made a note. "Are we both still attending the funeral?"

"Yeah, I want to watch her reaction to mourner's consoling her."

"But if we arrest her, won't she miss the funeral?"

"Believe me, Danko, her husband will be able to afford her bail. She'll be out by dinnertime."

"On a first degree murder charge?"

"Believe me, she'll be out," he repeated.

"Oh, before I forget, I talked to Lt. Ryker last night. He said he'll do a background check as long as the department okay's it. So, I told him that I'd talk to you so you can get the ball rolling," Mike said.

"I'll start the ball rolling, but do you have any idea how slowly that ball's going to roll? In the time it takes to get the okay, we could check everything out ourselves," Brinker sighed as he picked up the phone. "I'll see you in the morning."

When Mike arrived home 45 minutes later, he noticed Mr. Simpson out in his front yard with Charlie. He knew that the Simpson's female Labrador Retriever had just given birth to a litter of puppies, so he hadn't seen much of her or Charlie lately. "Afternoon, Sergeant," Mr. Simpson called out. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I was just going up the street to the Gillis' for dinner. What's on your mind?" Mike asked as he crossed the street as Charlie ran up to him.

"I wanted to show you something," the older man grinned as he led Mike to the background and unlatched the gate. Mike followed him over to a pen where 10 frisky puppies were frolicking as they tumbled over each other.

"Man, she sure had enough of them, didn't she?" Mike laughed as he knelt down to look at the puppies.

"They're three weeks old today. They're just now getting at the stage where they're playing with each other. This one," he said, plucking a male puppy from the pen, "is the best of the bunch. What do you think?" He asked as he handed Mike the squirming puppy.

Mike held the ball of black fur in his hands as he looked at him. "He's a great looking pup, but I'm still working on my wife. She keeps bringing up the point that she already has a kid that's not housebroken, not to mention me," he added as the old man laughed.

"How about if I take care of the housebreaking part for you? It's not that hard. They're still a few weeks away from being ready to sell. I'm taking them next week for their first shots and to be de-wormed. I know your little girl has a birthday coming up and I know how she loves Charlie," he said as Mike gave the puppy back.

"You take care of the housebreaking and I'll work on my wife. I'm known to be something of an easy touch," he grinned as he got up off of the ground. "They're great looking pups, though."

"I'll put a collar on him so I can tell him from the others and you let me know in the next week or so. I know how it is with women. I've been married for 40 years."

Mike left the Simpson's and walked back across the street, where he pulled his car into the garage before walking up the street to the Gillis'. After being let into the house, he was leapt upon by his small daughter. "Daddy, throw me!" She squealed as she clung to his leg as he walked into the kitchen where Jill was helping Jen with dinner.

"Hi, baby," he walked over and kissed her, dragging Mary Kate with him. "I have a growth on my leg."

"I can see that," she smiled as she kissed him back. "I guess we'll have to just surgically remove her."

"Mike, come play trains!" Thomas came charging into the kitchen and began tugging on Mike's arm. "Daddy said come on!"

"Thomas, your daddy isn't even home, yet, so stop telling fibs," Jen scolded her son.

"Come on, Mike!" Thomas continued pulling on Mike's arm.

"No!" Mary Kate protested. "Throw me, daddy!"

"It's nice to be popular," Jill grinned as they heard the front door open and close.

"Daddy's home!" Thomas shouted as he ran from the room.

"I think my popularity just dropped," Mike said in mock disappointment.

"That's okay, sweetheart," Jill sympathized with him. "You're still popular with us."

"I found this boy in the living room," Willie announced as he came into the kitchen holding Thomas upside down. "What should I do with him?"

"Oh, just put him in the garbage. It has to go out anyway," Jen smiled as William walked over to the trash can.

"No, daddy, no! It's me, Thomas! Let's play trains!"

"Go upstairs and I'll be there in a few minutes. I want to talk to mommy first," Willie put Thomas on the floor and gave him a pat on his behind. "How was your day?" He asked as he walked over and kissed Jen.

"It was okay," she said as she glanced over at Jill. "Dinner will be ready in about 10 or 15 minutes if you want to get in some playing with Thomas. Where's Alexandra?"

"In the other room reading."

"Can you ask her to come in and set the table for me?" Jen asked as William nodded.

Alexandra came into the room a few minutes later as Jill handed her a stack of plates and silverware. "Mike, did you get him?" She asked as she looked over at Mike.

"Yeah, we got him."

"Did he say anything?"

"Alexandra, set the table please," Jen looked at the girl, who immediately went and did as she was told.

"What's wrong?" Mike wanted to know.

"Nothing. I just don't want to talk about her stepmother right before dinner," Jen said as she checked on dinner as Mike looked over at Jill, who just shook her head and mouthed 'not now.'

"Well, I had my first look at Mary Kate's birthday present," Mike grinned as he changed the subject.

"Oh Mike, you're not still talking about getting her a puppy, are you?" Jill groaned. "Can we please talk about this when we get home?"

"Yeah, we'll talk about it when we get home," he said in disappointment as he hoisted Mary Kate off of his leg and left the room.

"I'm guessing that you're at an impasse," Jen guessed as Jill nodded.

"He doesn't understand that I already have a baby in diapers. I don't want to spend my days off housebreaking a puppy," she said as she walked over to the refrigerator and removed a pitcher of iced tea.

"You'll work it out," Jen assured her as she opened the oven and took out the pan of cabbage rolls.

Later that night at home, Mike was downstairs reading the newspaper while Jill bathed Mary Kate and got her ready for bed. After she got done, it was Mike's turn. After reading to her, he put her in bed and pulled her door closed before going back downstairs. "I was going to make some tea. Would you like some?" Jill asked.

"Yeah, that sounds great," he said as he followed her into the kitchen. "The puppies are really cute," he said as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Mike, I'm sure that they're really cute. But, the problem is they grow up to be dogs and Charlie's huge. He could easily know Mary Kathryn down if he wanted to. Plus, I really don't want to have to housebreak a puppy," she placed a mug of tea in front of Mike.

"Mr. Simpson has already said that he'll housebreak the puppy before we ever take him. He said it doesn't take very long. I've already talked to one of the K-9 officers. He's offered to teach me how to train him. Jill, I don't want to just do this for Mary Kate. I'd feel better if I knew we had a good watchdog. Will you at least think about it?" He begged as he looked at her.

"This means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. I think a kid needs a dog. She's an only child. The only person she has to play with is Thomas."

"I'll think about it," she grinned as she leaned down and kissed him. When they were in bed later, she brought up his lunch date with Alexandra. "Do you really think that was such a good idea?"

"Well, Brinker didn't. He's worried about it getting thrown out of court because I took her with me. But, I couldn't think of any other way of identifying the boyfriend, so it all worked out and we got a lot of information," he said as he reached over and turned out his lamp.

"You know, Alexandra thinks that you're her hero. I hope that you don't end up disappointing her," she glanced over at him.

"Once upon a time, I was your hero, too," he rolled over so that he was covering her body with his own.

"You still are," she whispered as he kissed her.

***MJMJMJ***

The next morning, Brinker met Mike outside as he was walking into the precinct. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Guess what this is?" He almost crowed as Mike looked at him. "A warrant for the arrest of Elizabeth Smyth. Let's go haul her in."

"You must've found a judge who likes you," Mike said as he followed Brinker to the unmarked. "Alexandra's sure going to be happy."

"Don't tell her," Brinker said as Mike made a face. "Chances are Elizabeth isn't going to be in jail very long. So, why even tell the kid."

As expected, Elizabeth Smyth was outraged when Brinker handcuffed her and put her in the backseat of the squad car, which had accompanied them to the Smyth home. Her husband hired a lawyer, who advised her not to answer any questions. So, Mike and Brinker didn't see her again until the arraignment. After the charges were read, the judge asked how she pled. "It's all a mistake!" She cried out. "Gracie isn't dead! I've seen her! This is all a huge mistake!"

"Counselor, please control your client," the judge warned.

"She pleads not guilty, your honor," her lawyer said.

"No, you don't understand," she turned to her lawyer. "I haven't done anything."

"How are the people on bail?"

"The people wish remand, your honor. The defendant is charged with killing her three-year-old daughter. She has the means to leave the jurisdiction if she so chooses," the D.A. said.

"Nonsense, your honor!" Mrs. Smyth's lawyer bellowed. "Mrs. Smyth has already agreed to relinquish her passport."

"Bail is set at 500 thousand, cash or bond and the defendant will hand over her passport. Court is adjourned!" The judge banged his gavel as the bailiff led Elizabeth Smyth out of the courtroom.

"What was that nonsense Elizabeth was saying about Grace?" The lawyer turned and hissed at Mr. Smyth.

"I have no idea. She's been saying that for days now. I think she's just overwrought. I'll order sedation when I get her home," Smyth whispered back to the lawyer.

"Come on, I'll show you where to post bond," the lawyer said as he led him out of the courtroom.

Brinker and Mike watched as Smyth walked out of the courtroom with his wife's lawyer. "Do you think she's planning an insanity defense?" Mike asked.

"Who knows? Come on, let's get back to work. I got a call from the chief this morning. They're going to okay the funds to hire Ryker. I called and told him. He said he'll start working on it."

In the car going back to their home after being bailed out, Mr. Smyth turned toward his wife. "You need to control yourself and stop saying that Grace is still alive. Byron thinks that you've gone off your rocker. I'll call Dr. Livingston when we return home to sedate you and this time, you won't refuse."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She just let herself think of other ways in which she could get Grace away from those people she was now living with. They were cheap and common. They didn't even have anybody taking care of her from what she'd been able to tell, but were actually caring for her themselves.

***MJMJMJ***

The next morning Mike met Brinker at the church were the funeral was being held. They walked in and took seats in the very back row and watched as people filed in, stopping to pay their respects to the grieving parents. From Mike's perspective, Elizabeth appeared zombie-like. He was guessing she was under sedation which would ruin any chance of letting her true feelings show. He looked at the front of the church, feeling depressed by the sight of the small casket.

His attention was diverted when he saw Margaret Smyth walk in. Maggie walked to the front pew and was about to take a seat with her father and stepmother when she noticed that Alexandra wasn't there. "Where's Alexandra?" She whispered to her father.

"The foster family didn't think it would be a good idea for her to attend the funeral," her father lied as Maggie's face went red with anger. "I tried to convince them otherwise, but they thought that they knew best."

Maggie was so angry that she found it difficult to focus on the service. She knew that she was going to give these foster people a piece of her mind. Who the hell did they think they were anyway?

***MJMJMJ***

Alexandra was sitting on the floor playing Candy Land with Thomas and Mary Kate. Well, Mary Kate wasn't actually playing. She was just picking up the game pieces and running around with them and throwing them when the mood hit her. "Mary Kate, stop!" Thomas shouted as she picked up another piece. "Why do we have to play with her? She doesn't even know the rules! She's just a stupid girl!"

"Hey, don't call her stupid. I know she doesn't know the rules. That's why we have to teach her," Alexandra patiently explained to the little boy as the doorbell rang. "Sit down and try to teach her while I answer the door."

"Look through the hole first," Thomas instructed as Alexandra smiled.

"Yes, sir," she said as she looked through the peephole, smiling when she saw her sister standing there. She opened the door and threw her arms around her. "Maggie, I've missed you!"

"Where are your foster parents?" Maggie demanded as Alexandra stepped away from the door.

"Jennifer's in the laundry room. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Yes, I want to talk to her!" Maggie shouted as Jen entered the room. "How dare you not let Alexandra attend her own sister's funeral! What kind of a parent are you?"

"Who are you and what're you talking about?" Jen asked in shock.

"This is my sister, Maggie," Alexandra said by way of introduction. "Maggie, it isn't Jen and Willie's fault. Daddy called and told me not to come to the funeral. He didn't want me to upset Elizabeth."

"He what?" Maggie stared at her younger sister. "He told me that he spoke to them," she pointed at Jen, "and they told him that they didn't think it was a good idea for you to go to the funeral."

"Maggie, I've never spoken to your father. He's called and talked to Alexandra a couple of times, but we've never spoken."

"Then why did he lie to me?" She asked as she burst into tears.

Thomas and Mary Kate looked up from the game on the floor, but they were too little to understand who this strange woman was or why she was crying. "Thomas, play nice with Mary Kate," Jen ordered her son as she put an arm around Maggie and led her into the kitchen. "Have a seat and I'll make some tea."

"Are you sure that you've never talked to him?" She wailed as Jen walked over and handed her a box of tissues. "Thank you."

"Maggie, neither my husband nor I have ever talked to your father or your stepmother," Jen repeated as she sat down at the table.

"I just can't believe that he lied to me," she said once again as the tea kettle began to whistle. Jen got up and made two mugs of tea and brought them to the table with the sugar bowl and a small container of milk. "I can't believe that he thinks more of her than he does of us. It's always been that way," she said bitterly as she added sugar to her tea mug.

"Was it a nice funeral?" Alexandra asked as tears ran down her face.

"I don't remember much about it. I was so angry when I saw that you weren't there and when daddy told me why. Are you happy here?" Maggie looked at her sister.

"Yes," she smiled as she looked at Jennifer. "Willie and Jennifer are very nice to me. I like the kids."

"So, how old are your kids?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, Thomas is the only one who's mine," Jen explained. "He's almost four. I babysit for Mary Kate. She's Sgt. Danko's little girl."

"Mom, Mary Kate's throwing my game all over the living room," Thomas complained as he walked into the kitchen.

"I'll go pick up the game," Alexandra volunteered as she got up and followed Thomas from the room as Maggie followed her just as the phone rang.

Jennifer watched the two young women leave with Thomas as she got up to answer the phone. "Hello?" She sighed in irritation when she received no response on the other end. "Hello?" She repeated. "Look, if you've got the wrong number, just say so!" She slammed the phone down, thinking of what Jill had said the night before when she'd told her about her suspicion of being followed. She made the decision to talk about her suspicions to William.

In the living room, Alexandra was sitting on the floor putting the game pieces back in the box. "Thomas, make sure we've got all of the cards and the game pieces. I don't want anybody stepping on anything. Mary Kate, help us put the toys back in the box."

"Alexandra, do you think you'll stay here permanently?" Maggie asked as the children helped her put the game away.

"No," she said as she shook her head. "I think my caseworker is trying to work something out with Grandmother and Grandfather Smyth in London."

"Do you really want to live there?"

"It's better than living with Elizabeth," Alexandra pointed out as Maggie nodded.

"Alexandra, have you noticed that she looks like Grace?" Maggie nodded toward Mary Kate. "She doesn't look anything like Sgt. Danko."

"Yes, she does," Alexandra argued as they watched the little girl toddle around the room. "She does kind of look like Grace, but she doesn't have brown eyes."

"I'm glad that you're happy here. I've got to get back," Maggie said as she stood up. "I have classes this afternoon."

"You'll come back, won't you?" Alexandra pleaded as she hugged her sister.

"I'll be back," Maggie promised as she left the house.

Jennifer came out as Maggie was leaving. She could see that Alexandra seemed to be down after watching her sister leave. "Why don't we take the kids to the park?" Jen suggested as the kids started jumping up and down in excitement.

"I thought Willie didn't like us taking the kids to the park when it's so hot," Alexandra reminded her.

"He doesn't, but we won't stay long," Jen smiled. "I'll go get the wagon."

Sitting in her air conditioned Lincoln Towncar, Elizabeth Smyth watched as she saw Jennifer and Alexandra walk out of the front door, pulling a red wagon with the two children in it. She smiled as she remembered the anger in Jennifer's voice when she'd made the call from a payphone a short time ago. She'd left a house full of mourners behind to come over here today. When Harrison had asked why she was leaving their guests, she'd told him that she needed some air. Fortunately, he hadn't insisted on coming with her.

She watched as the woman and her stepdaughter walked down the street. Elizabeth guessed that their destination was probably the park that was about three blocks away. She'd seen it on her previous visit to the neighborhood.

At the park, they took the kids from the wagon and put them on swings as they began to push them. "How'd you meet Willie?" Alexandra asked as she pushed Mary Kate while Jen pushed Thomas, who kept begging to go higher.

"I knew him when we went to school together. For a while he was engaged to my best friend."

"Don't you mean _former _best friend?"

"No, we're still friends. She got married right after I married William. I was her matron of honor. Anyway, William came back to our hometown about a year after they broke up. I ran into him at a 4th of July picnic and we started dating right after that."

"He's funnier than Sgt. Danko."

"Yeah, he was always the funny one when we went to school," she said as she continued pushing Thomas. Looking around the park, her heart almost stopped when she saw a woman who looked like the woman Thomas had asked her about the day before at the market.

"Did Jill tell you why Sgt. Danko . . . "Alexandra stopped speaking when she noticed that Jennifer wasn't paying attention. "Jennifer, what's wrong?"

"Come on, let's take the kids back home and let them run through the sprinkler in the backyard. It's too hot out here," she said as she stopped the swing and pulled Thomas off of it despite his screams of protest. "Thomas, stop! Let's go home and have popsicles."

She began pulling the wagon so fast that Alexandra had to run to keep up with her even though the kids liked it and wanted her to run even faster. By the time they got home, sweat was pouring off both of them. When they entered the house, Jen quickly shut the door and locked all of the locks. "Jennifer, what's wrong?" Alexandra asked once again.

"Nothing. Come on, let's get the kids into their swimsuits," she said as she took both of the kids out of the wagon and rolled it to a corner of the living room. After putting the wagon away, she opened the curtains and peered out, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

After sending Alexandra outside with the two kids, Jen removed a popsicle from the freezer and took it outside, dividing it in half before giving a half to each of the children. "Are you sure that you're okay?" Alexandra asked as they watched the kids devouring the cold treat.

"I'm fine. It's just too hot," Jen said as she fanned her face with her hands. "Can you keep an eye on them? I'm going to go inside out of the heat."

When William got home that afternoon, he found Jennifer was jumpy and moody. He wondered if maybe all three kids were getting to be too much for her. He came downstairs after taking a shower and found her sitting at the dining room table with her head in her hands. "Jen?" He put his hand on her shoulder as she looked up at him. "What's going on?"

"Can we talk somewhere alone for a few minutes?" She asked as she took his hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom where she closed the door before sitting down on the edge of their bed. "I want you to please listen to me and not think that I'm losing my mind."

"Okay," he came over and sat beside her. "I'm all ears."

"William, I think that someone's following me," she began as she glanced at William to make sure that he was paying attention. "And, I think that someone is Alexandra's stepmother."

"Honey, Mike told me that she has a restraining order filed against her. She can't come within 500 feet of Alexandra," he told her as she got up off of the bed. "Jen, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just . . . "

"You think that Jill's been telling me too many war stories," she guessed. "Yes, Jill told me about some guy who was stalking her a long time ago, but this isn't a figment of my imagination! Thomas even saw her yesterday at the grocery store! When I turned around, there was nobody there."

"Thomas also has a very active . . . "

"Don't even say it! Don't sit there and discount me when I try and tell you something! I got enough of that from my father! Today I took the kids to the park with Alexandra and she was there. I don't know how she knew we were at the park, but she did. Can't you call Mike and ask him to pick her up?"

"And charge her with what? Honey, you can't just arrest someone and charge them with what you think they're doing. Look, I have tomorrow off. I'll take all three kids off of your hands for the day. I'll take them to the pier. How would that be?" He implored with the huge brown eyes that had made her fall in love with him.

"William, taking them to the pier isn't going to change the fact that I'm being followed," she hissed as she stormed out of the bedroom.

It was the pregnancy hormones, he kept telling himself. He remembered when she was pregnant with Thomas, the hormones had driven them both crazy. Mike had told him that he'd experienced the same thing when Jill was pregnant with Mary Kate. Combined with the heat she was imagining things. He heaved a sigh and got off of the bed and made his way downstairs to kiss and make up. Only Jennifer was nowhere to be found. "Where's Jen?" He asked Alexandra, who was playing Lego's with Thomas and Mary Kate.

"I don't know. She grabbed her keys and said she'd be back later. Is she okay?"

"I think the heat's getting to her," Willie said as he sat down on the floor with the kids.

"Maybe she's afraid of the lady with the sunglasses," Thomas said earnestly as he stacked blocks.

"What lady?" Alexandra asked.

"At the store yesterday. She kept looking at me and Mary Kate. When I asked mommy who she was, she misappeared," he looked at his father.

"You mean 'disappeared,'" Alexandra corrected him.

"That's what I just said," he said in irritation.

"Did you see her today?" Willie asked as Thomas shook his head.

"You think that it's Elizabeth, don't you?" Alexandra asked fearfully as Willie forced a smile.

"I don't know. Hey, after Jill picks up Mary Kate, how about if I order some Chinese food? Does that sound good?" Willie asked.

"I think you should go out and look for Jennifer," Alexandra suggested, as she stared at Willie as if he was clueless. "I can watch them for a little while. Maybe you should get Terry and Mike to help you."

"I think that Terry has a date, but I'll ask Mike to help," he said as he got off of the floor.

"Is my mommy okay?" Thomas asked as his lower lip started to quiver.

"Oh, she's fine," Alexandra was quick to reassure him. "She's just upset. Sometimes people want to be by themselves when they're upset."

The doorbell rang a short time later. Willie answered it to let Jill in. "Is Mike at home?" He asked as he closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, just a little while ago. Where's Jen?" She asked as she looked around.

"I don't know and I was hoping that Mike could help me look for her," he said sheepishly.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Jill asked as she noticed the three children looking at them from their vantage point on the floor. She walked into the kitchen and out the back door as Willie followed her. "Let me guess. You just graduated with honors from the Michael Danko School for Non-Believers."

"Something like that. When did she tell you?"

"Last night. I told her to talk to you, but I at least thought that you'd believe her," she went back into the house and angrily began gathering up Mary Kathryn's belongings, shoving them into her diaper bag. "She's five months pregnant with your child! She needs your support right now, not your disbelief! When you find her, tell her to call me. I'll go home and send Mike over and then I'll come back to stay with them. Do you want Charlie, as well?" She asked sarcastically.

"Jill, I'm sorry," he apologized as she scooped up Mary Kate.

Mike had just started reading the paper when Jill walked in and slammed the door behind her. "What's going on?" He asked as he put the paper down on the sofa.

"Willie needs your help. Jennifer's missing and he doesn't know where to being looking for her. I told him that I'd send you to help him look. And, I'll give you a hint. Try the park," she put the diaper bag on a nearby chair and set Mary Kathryn on the floor.

"Why's Jennifer missing?" Mike felt as if he'd just walked into the middle of a really bad play.

"Because she tried to tell Willie that she thinks she's being followed by that woman and he didn't believe her!" Jill shouted as Mary Kathryn started to cry.

"Baby, calm down," Mike walked over and picked up the baby. "You knew about this?"

"Jennifer told me last night. I told her about my ordeal with Lee Borden and suggested that she tell Willie. Mike, can't you pick her up and keep her in jail?" She begged as she reached out to take Mary Kathryn from him.

"I wish. Brinker and I are hoping that Eddie's able to dig up something. The park, huh?" He looked at Jill as she nodded. "Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

She gave him a kiss before he walked out of the front door. "Mommy's sorry that she scared you, sweetie," she kissed Mary Kathryn on the cheek, breathing in her baby scent. "Why don't we go back over and stay with Thomas and Alexandra until daddy comes back?" She looked at the little girl who stared at her with her father's eyes.

Alexandra was still playing with Thomas when the doorbell rang. Looking through the peephole, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Jill. Somehow, she really doubted Elizabeth would bother to ring the doorbell. "Hi," she said when she opened the door.

"Have you two eaten?" Jill asked as Alexandra shook her head. "Come on, I'll fix dinner for the three of you."

"Jill, do you think that Elizabeth is following Jennifer?" Alexandra asked in a low voice as they followed Jill into the kitchen.

"Have you seen her?" Jill asked as she walked into the pantry, surveying the contents.

"Not since that day when I thought that I saw her car. Maggie was here today and she said something that I hadn't thought of before," Alexandra watched as Jill removed a couple of cans of Ravioli from the pantry shelf. "She said that Mary Kate looks like Grace."

"What does that have to do with everything? Grace is dead. Elizabeth does realize that, doesn't she?" Jill asked as she walked over and opened the cans before dumping the contents into a pot.

"Have you ever heard of cryogenics?" Alexandra asked as Jill nodded. "Elizabeth is a firm believer in it. When her father died a few years ago, she wanted her mother to have her father frozen. I heard her on the phone arguing about it."

"How old were you?"

"I don't know. Nine or 10. It was right after Grace was born."

Jill didn't say anything as she heated the pot on the stove. Deep down, she really didn't believe that her daughter was the target. She believed that the true target was Alexandra.

Mike walked up the street and met up with Willie a couple of blocks from the house. "Jill suggested that we try the park," he said as he fell into step beside his long-time friend. "I don't think I need to tell you that you didn't handle the situation well."

"No, you don't," Willie said in a short voice as he stared at his friend. "Now, I not only owe my wife flowers, but yours, as well."

"Let's just make sure that Jennifer's okay, and then you can dig your way out of the rest of it," Mike said as they continued walking.

"Do you really think she's being followed?"

"It doesn't matter what you or I think. What matters if that Jennifer believes it. I learned that when I was dealing with Jill and Lee Borden."

Jennifer was sitting on one of the swings, gently swaying back and forth when she saw Willie and Mike enter the park. She saw Mike point her out before he turned and began walking back toward home.

"I'm sorry," he said as he sat down in the swing beside hers.

"The funny thing is I knew what your reaction was going to be, which is why I didn't want to tell you. Let me ask you something," she stopped the swing and turned to face her husband. "Why do you think I'd make up something like this?"

"I don't know what I was thinking or even _if _I was thinking. I'm sorry," he repeated as she turned away and began moving the swing once again. "Maybe we should call Ms. Callaghan and make other arrangements for Alexandra."

"Why? None of this is her fault," she said as she once again stopped the swing. "Her sister stopped by earlier today and wanted to know why we wouldn't let Alexandra attend Grace's funeral."

"What? We didn't say Alexandra couldn't go to the funeral."

"Well, apparently that's what Mr. Smyth told Maggie. But, get this. Alexandra told Maggie that the reason he gave her for not attending the funeral was he didn't want her upsetting her stepmother. How cruel is that to not even give that little girl a chance to say goodbye to her own sister?" Jen asked as tears crept down her face.

"That whole family gives new meaning to the term 'dysfunctional,'" Willie said as he reached over and took her hand.

"Yeah, they make my parents sound like Ward and June Cleaver."

"Honey, your parents aren't dysfunctional. They're just a little odd," he made a face as she laughed.

"Can we please go home? I'm beyond exhausted," she said as she got off of the swing.

"Yeah, I told the kids that I'd order Chinese food. Are you hungry?" He asked as they walked toward her car hand in hand.

"Not really. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed."

"You should eat something. After all, you're eating for two," he said as he opened the car door for her.

"My mother told me that when I was pregnant with Thomas, and look at the weight that I gained," she said as she got behind wheel and started the engine.

Later, back at Mike and Jill's, Mike was once again reading his paper when the phone rang. "I've got it!" He called out to Jill, who was in the kitchen giving ice cream to Mary Kate. "Hello?" He answered as he sat in his recliner.

"Danko, I've got some information on one half of your case," Ryker's voice came over the line.

"Wow, that was fast," Mike said as he grabbed for paper and pen. "What do you have?"

"This would be better if you heard from it in person. Can I meet with you and Brinker tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, I'll call Brinker," he said, not really wanting to go in on a Saturday, but wanting to have more information to go on. "Let me call him and I'll call you right back." Mike ended the call and dialed Brinker's number. "Loo, it's Danko. Lt. Ryker just called and asked if he could meet us tomorrow morning. He said that he has some information regarding the case."

"Tell him that we'll meet him at the precinct at nine o'clock."

Mike called Ryker and relayed the information. Then, he sat back wondering what Ryker had found out and on whom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimers: I don't own 'The Rookies.' I just own the rights to wherever my twisted mind takes me at any given moment.**

**Summary: Mike and Brinker learn some shocking news about Elizabeth Smyth's past as she continues her campaign of terror against Jennifer Gillis.**

**Mary Kate Danko celebrates her second birthday.**

Chapter 7: Surprising Revelations

Mike showed up at the precinct at a quarter to nine that Saturday morning, not terribly happy that he had to work on a nice morning when he could be doing things around the house. He went upstairs to the squad room and fixed himself a cup of coffee as he waited for Brinker and Ryker to arrive. He sat down at his desk and took out a pad and pen as he looked at the pictures of Jill and Mary Kate that he had displayed on his desktop. He found himself hoping that Willie and Jen had been able to work things out because in his mind there was nothing better in the world than being a husband and father.

He looked up when Brinker walked in, followed by Ryker. "How long have you been here?" Brinker asked as he walked over with his ever-present cup of coffee in his hands.

"A few minutes," Mike looked at his former boss. "Pull up a chair and tell us what you have."

"Hey, that's supposed to be my line," Brinker complained as he sat at his desk.

"First, tell me how my goddaughter is," Ryker opened his briefcase on Brinker's desk.

"She's fine. Growing like a weed," Mike smiled. Eddie loved hearing about his late wife's namesake.

"Getting information on someone usually isn't that difficult," he began as he removed a file folder from his briefcase. "Everybody leaves a paper trail in the form of marriage licenses, tax forms, or other forms. I'm still waiting on information regarding Harrison Smyth, but I've already obtained a boatload on his wife," he handed copies of his file to both detectives.

Mike's eyes felt as if they were going to bulge out of his head as he began to read. "She was married before?" He asked as he continued reading.

"Wait, it gets better. Read a little further down," Ryker instructed as he sat back and waited for the shock to hit.

"Holy shit!" Brinker sat straight up in his chair as he looked at Eddie, who didn't say anything, but looked back at him with a bemused expression on his face.

"What're you reading?" Mike asked as Brinker walked behind him and moved his finger down to what he'd just discovered. "Holy cow! How'd you find out about this?"

"I just told you, Danko. Everybody leaves a paper trail. Marriage certificates, death certificates, etc. Her father was Dr. Daniel Townsend. At one time he was a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. He lost his license in 1976 and committed suicide eight months later. I'm still trying to find out why he lost his license. The confidentiality is making that tricky. I'm sending Applegate to Harrisburg so he can check state records."

"It says that he committed suicide in his Beverly Hills home. So, he was living here at the time?" Mike guessed as Eddie nodded.

"I'm under the impression that he didn't live full-time in Pittsburgh. If you're as renowned as he was, all you have to do is perform a handful of surgeries a year to stay in the black. His wife still lives in their home in Beverly Hills."

"Okay, let's talk about the baby. How'd he die?" Mike asked.

"Danko, it was 1966. Most unexpected deaths of babies were attributed to crib death, now known as SIDS. But, it does make things a little more suspicious with the death of a second child."

"Yes, it does," Brinker agreed. "We need to talk to Mrs. Smyth's mother."

"And the ex-husband," Mike added as Brinker nodded.

"Do you have phone numbers for them?" Brinker asked as Ryker nodded. "I'll call and see if we can talk to both of them on Monday."

"Why not today?" Mike wanted to know.

"Because the department's not going to approve overtime, Danko. Believe me, these two people aren't going to suddenly flee the country in the next two days. It'll keep until Monday."

"We might have another problem," Mike said as he told them about Jennifer's suspicions about being followed.

"Do you believe her?" Brinker asked.

"I've been through it before, so yes, I believe her. We've already got a restraining order in place against this woman, but apparently she thinks the rules don't apply to her. I was thinking that maybe we could talk to the judge and have her bond revoked."

"I'd love to, Danko. But without proof, the judge isn't going to go for it. You said you've been through this before. Were you able to do anything without proof?"

"No, but by the time I was able to get proof, it was almost too late. I don't want a repeat performance."

"I'll call Mr. Smyth and have him remind his wife to stay away from Alexandra," Brinker offered as Mike rolled his eyes. "It's the best that I can do for the time being."

***MJMJMJ***

It was almost 90 degrees by the time Mike pulled into the garage an hour later. He walked into the house and was instantly mobbed by his tiny daughter. "Hi, pumpkin," he greeted her as he picked her up and tossed her into the air as she giggled with delight.

"Hi," Jill walked into the kitchen and kissed him. "So, did Eddie dig up some dirt?"

"Yeah, but I really can't go into that right now," he said as he put Mary Kate back on the floor. "Have you talked to Jen this morning?"

"A little while ago. Willie took Thomas to the pier. He offered to take Alexandra, but she didn't want to go. But, she did ask if you wanted to play chess later."

"Jen or Alexandra?"

"Alexandra, silly. I don't think Jen knows how to play chess."

Jen and Alexandra showed up a little while later. While Jen went into the kitchen to chat with Jill, Mike set up the chess board on a table in the living room. "Let's converse in French," Alexandra said very primly as Mike smiled and nodded in agreement. "How'd you learn to speak French, anyway?"

"My mother," Mike answered, concentrating as he tried to remember how to speak a language that he hadn't spoken fluently since his childhood. "How'd you learn to speak so well? Because my mother would absolutely adore you."

"I told you that I had tutors."

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked as she moved a piece on the board. "Did you know that Elizabeth had been married before?"

"Really?" Alexandra's eyes widened in shock. "Does my father know?"

"I don't know. I mean, people hide things, but usually not the fact that they've been married before," Mike was trying to remember how to conjugate verbs and tenses as he countered Alexandra's move with a move of his own. "Do you know her mother?"

"Nana Townsend? Yes, of course. She's always been very kind to me and Maggie. I don't see my grandparents very often, so she's a good substitute," Alexandra made another move on the chessboard.

"How does she get along with Elizabeth?"

Alexandra sat back and thought for a bit before she answered. "I know that Elizabeth doesn't like visiting her. She always makes a big fuss anytime we go to see her."

"So, they don't get along well?"

"Not on Elizabeth's end, anyway," she said as she made another move. "Check."

"How'd you do that?" Mike asked as she laughed. "Who taught you to play chess? Bobby Fisher?"

"Are you kidding? Nobody even knows where he is," she laughed again as Mike shook his head. "I heard Jill talking about the party for Mary Kate. When's her birthday?"

"July 27th," Mike answered as Alexandra frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Her birthday's the same day as mine."

"Well, we'll have to see about throwing you a little celebration, as well," he said as he made another move as Alexandra grinned. "I just messed up, didn't I, Miss Poker Face?"

"You don't have to do anything for me," she said as she made one more move. "Checkmate."

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be beat by a child? And, what do you mean, we don't have to do anything for you? Thirteen's a big deal. It means that you'll be entering that stage that every parent dreads. You'll be a teenager," he grinned as Alexandra made a face.

"It wouldn't be right to steal Mary Kate's day away from her."

"You know what? As long as Mary Kate has a cake and presents to unwrap, she's going to be happy. Besides, the party isn't going to be on her exact birthday. We'll do something for you on the 27th and I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Mike, do you have any brothers who are a lot younger than you?" She asked as Mike laughed.

"Sweetie, I only have one brother and he's two years older."

***MJMJMJ***

At the Santa Monica pier, Willie walked down the boardwalk with Thomas perched on his shoulders. While it was boiling hot in the city, it was actually almost pleasant on the boardwalk pier. The breeze blowing off of the Pacific was refreshing. Willie bought the two of them a box of popcorn and two small sodas as he walked over to a bench and removed his son from his shoulders before sitting him beside him as they watched the surfers. "Can you do that, daddy?" Thomas asked as he pointed at the surfers.

"Yeah. I'll teach you when you're a little bigger," Willie promised as he ate a handful of popcorn. "Thomas, I need to ask you a question. Do you remember when you told mommy about the lady with the sunglasses at the grocery store?"

"Yeah," the little boy answered as he took some popcorn from the box and shoved it into his mouth. "She had all black clothes on."

"Did you see her hair?" He asked as Thomas shook his head. "Why not?"

"She had a church hat on."

"A church hat?" Willie was puzzled.

"A big hat like the one grandma wears to church with that stuff in the front."

"Oh, a hat with a veil," Willie guessed as Thomas nodded. "Then how'd you see the sunglasses?"

"They were really big. Like Jill's."

"But mommy didn't see her?"

"Nope," he solemnly shook his head. "She misappeared like the man at Trevor's birthday party."

There'd been a magician at the birthday party of one of Thomas' playmates a few months before. He'd managed to make himself disappear much to the delight of the children. Thomas had been trying to figure out how he did it ever since. It was hard to explain illusion to a three-year-old.

"Are you getting excited about the baby?" Willie asked, figuring that he'd interrogated his small son enough for one day.

"Nope. If we don't like it, can we send it back?"

"I'm afraid not, son," Willie chuckled as he hugged his son. "You'll see that you're going to like being a big brother."

"Not if it's a girl," Thomas shook his head. "Mary Kate doesn't play by the rules."

"She will when she's older," Willie promised as he picked up Thomas and settled him on his lap.

***MJMJMJ***

Back at the Danko's, Jill and Jen were sitting at the dining room table drinking lemonade as Mary Kathryn ate cookies from her high chair. "So, did you and Willie patch things up?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "But I have a question. Do all men think that sex is a makeup tool?"

"I wouldn't know, but Mike uses it as one, too," Jill said as both women started laughing.

"I use what, too?" Mike asked as he walked into the kitchen and sat next to Jill.

"Never mind," she gave him a loving smile as he took her hand. "Did you finish your game?"

"Yeah, I got wiped out in five moves. It was embarrassing," he made a face as the two woman laughed. "Listen, I just learned that Alexandra's birthday is the same day as Mary Kate's. I know that we're throwing Mary Kate's party before the 27th, so I was thinking that maybe we could do something for Alexandra the weekend of the 27th."

"Yeah, we could do something," Jen said as Jill nodded in agreement.

"Great!" He said as he stood up and grabbed a cookie before once again leaving the girls alone to gossip.

"So, do you think that Willie finally believes that you're being followed?"

"I don't know. How long did it take Mike to believe you?" Jen asked as Jill poured her another glass of lemonade.

"Well, I don't think that he ever completely disbelieved me. It's just that there were so many things that happened that it was hard to figure out what was real and what was part of my extremely overactive imagination."

"What happened to the man who was following you?"

"He's in prison, but I think he's up for parole pretty soon. I was so naïve at the time," Jill sighed as she took a sip of her drink.

"I accused William of acting like my father."

"How so?"

"I've told you that I was an only child," Jen looked at Jill as she nodded. "I was always under the impression that my father was pissed that I wasn't a boy. The entire time that I was growing up he never believed anything I told him unless he saw the proof. Between him and my mother with her stories of how she almost died giving birth to me, I'm surprised that I'm not spending five afternoons a week on a psychiatrist's couch."

"Is that one reason why you didn't argue when Willie wanted to come back here?"

"That and I knew William wasn't happy up there. He was always telling me stories about his exploits here and I could tell how much he loved it, so when he made the decision to come back I was all for it. Did I tell you what my mother said when I told her that I was pregnant again?"

"No, what happened?"

"She didn't even bother to congratulate us. The very first thing she did was to remind me of how huge I got with Thomas. I'm ashamed to say this, but when she asked me when I was due, I lied about my due date. I don't want her anywhere near me in the labor room."

"I can't say that I blame you," Jill sighed as she thought of her own family. It was true what they said about no matter how bad you think your family is there's always somebody who has it worse.

***MJMJMJ***

Monday morning Mike and Brinker drove out to Beverly Hills to speak with Gertrude Townsend, the mother of Elizabeth Smyth. The house looked like something out of a Hollywood movie. "This case is really showing me how the other half lives," Mike commented as they got out of the unmarked.

"Yeah, these houses are beginning to make me feel like trailer trash," Brinker said as they walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

A butler answered the door and led them both into the requisite sitting room, instructing them to wait as he went to get Mrs. Townsend. Approximately five minutes later the double doors leading into the room opened and a small woman dressed entirely in black entered the room, her snow white hair pulled into a rather severe knot on top of her head. "Thank you for seeing us, Mrs. Townsend. I'm Lt. Brinker and this is my partner, Sgt. Danko," Brinker introduced the two of them as they both showed her their badges. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter, Elizabeth."

"I was expecting you gentlemen days ago," the old lady said as she took a seat on a velvet love seat as a maid entered the room rolling a tea cart. "Tea?"

"Yes, please," Brinker answered politely.

"Yes, please," Mike echoed his partner's answer as the maid poured three cups of tea and then discreetly left the room.

"What do you want to know about Elizabeth?" Mrs. Townsend asked as she sipped her tea, eyeing both gentlemen with kind gray eyes.

"Anything that you'd care to offer," Brinker looked at her as he sipped his tea.

"I could offer quite a lot," she laughed derisively. "I'm sad to say that my daughter was a rather unpleasant child and now she's grown into a rather unpleasant adult. When she was young, I wanted to send her away to school, but her father wouldn't hear of it."

"You said that she was an unpleasant child. In what ways was she unpleasant?" Brinker asked.

"She was spoiled and willful. When she didn't get her way, she'd throw the most monstrous tantrums. Her father gave her whatever her heart desired. I was cut from different cloth. My mother never gave in to me and I wasn't about to give in to her," she looked across at them sternly as she set down her tea cup.

"I understand that your husband was a surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. How long was he there?"

"He was affiliated with the hospital for almost 20 years, but we only lived in Pittsburgh for eight years. The winter's in that part of the country are brutal," she shivered in remembrance.

"Elizabeth told us when we first interviewed her that you were currently living in Philadelphia," Mike remembered as he watched her reaction.

"Young man, I've _never _lived in Philadelphia," she was quick to correct him. "Elizabeth likes nothing better than to make up outrageous lies. I'm frankly surprised that she didn't tell you that I was dead. I know that she wishes that I was."

"Alexandra is very fond of you," Mike told her as she smiled.

"I adored all three of those girls. Even Margaret and Alexandra, even though they weren't my granddaughters by blood. I always wanted to be a grandmother. I guess I was hoping that I could do a better job as a grandmother than I did as a mother. That chance was stolen from me the first time, and then Elizabeth married Harrison and I was given a second chance," she smiled wistfully.

"Tell us about your first grandchild," Brinker encouraged her.

"Marshall Daniel," she smiled as she remembered. "She named him after both of his grandfathers. But, thinking back on it, she wasn't the best mother in the world."

"How so?" Mike asked.

"Marshall was a colicky baby and Elizabeth doesn't do well with crying babies. We offered to hire a baby nurse, but my ex son-in-law wouldn't hear of it. He insisted that Elizabeth could care for the baby herself," she remembered.

"So, her first husband wasn't wealthy?"

"Oh no. He was finishing up with law school. He was very proud and didn't want help from us. I respected that, although it almost gave my husband a stroke. He couldn't stand the idea of his precious baby girl having to dirty her hands changing diapers. I kept telling him that she had to grow up sometime."

"What happened to the baby?" Mike asked.

"When he was five months old, Elliot . . . that was Elizabeth's husband . . . he called us in a panic. He said that Elizabeth had found the baby dead in his crib. Of course we were all shocked. But it never crossed any of our minds . . . " her thoughts trailed off as she refilled her tea cup.

"That she'd done something to him?" Brinker finished her thought as the old lady nodded. "But now you're having second thoughts?"

"I didn't start re-thinking it until Grace died. She was cold with all of the children, but particularly so with Grace and Alexandra. Grace was sickly and she just didn't have the patience for a sickly child. As for Alexandra, I think it was because she was a daddy's girl like Elizabeth had been when she was younger. I think she saw too much of herself in Alexandra."

"We were told that Grace was doing fairly well considering her heart problems."

"Well, she wasn't bedridden, but she tired easily and she cried a lot. I didn't visit my daughter often in her home, but when I did, the children were always kept out of sight on the third floor. When they visited me, Elizabeth insisted that they sit as still as church mice. When that failed, they were sent to the kitchen until the visit was over."

"Could we get your consent to have the body of your first grandchild exhumed?"

"I'd give you consent in a moment, Lieutenant, but it'd do you no good. She had Marshall cremated," she said as both cops bit back groans of disappointment.

"How did your daughter react to her father's suicide?" Brinker asked.

"She was crushed, of course. But then she started getting this crazy notion that she wanted to have him frozen so that scientists could resurrect him in 50 or a hundred years. It was a crazy idea and I told her so," she said as she shook her head.

"How'd he kill himself?"

"He injected himself full of some drug that I was told paralyzes all of the muscles in the body. One of his colleagues said that he basically suffocated."

Brinker and Mike glanced at each other as Mrs. Townsend's words sank into their brains. "Thank you for your time and your hospitality," Brinker said as he stood up, and Mike followed suit.

"Will you be talking to Elliot?" She asked as she also stood up. "Because I'm sure he could tell you much more than I have."

"Yes, we're talking to him this afternoon. I understand that he's quite successful now," Brinker said as she walked them out of the sitting room.

"Yes. If she'd stayed married to him for just a short while longer, she would've discovered that," she said as she shook their hands as she walked them out. "If you see Alexandra and Margaret, tell them I'm thinking of them."

"We will," Mike said as they walked back to the unmarked. "She killed her daughter in the same manner as her father's suicide," he said as he got into the car.

"We need to find out how and where she got that drug," Brinker said as he started the car. "Her mother's a classy lady though."

"Yes, she is. Alexandra told me that she adored her," Mike smiled as they left the area. "What time is our interview with the ex-husband?"

"One thirty. Let's grab some lunch and then we'll drive to Wilshire Boulevard."

Elliot Wilson worked in a high rise law office on Wilshire Boulevard. An entertainment attorney, his office was filled with photos of many of his famous clients. His secretary ushered Brinker and Mike into Wilson's office as he got up from behind his desk and shook hands with both detectives. "I've been expecting a visit from you guys," he said a he looked at his secretary. "Janie, bring in coffee. Have a seat and tell me what I can do for you."

"We're investigating the death of Grace Smyth and we understand that you were once married to Elizabeth Smyth," Brinker said as he took out his notebook.

"The worst five years of my life. I pity her current husband, but then, he's far luckier than I was. He spends most of his time out of the country from what I understand and I can't say that I blame him," he stopped speaking as his secretary re-entered the room, carrying a tray with coffee. "Thank you, Janie. Please hold all of my calls for the next hour or so."

"Yes, Mr. Wilson," she left and closed the door behind her.

"How'd the two of you meet?" Brinker asked.

"We were both undergrads at Penn State. I didn't have two nickels to rub together, so I don't know what the attraction was. But one thing led to another and we found ourselves married. That was in 1961. I got accepted at UCLA School of Law, so we moved out here in 1963."

"When was your son born?" Mike asked him.

"February 18, 1966. It was the happiest and proudest day of my life," he remembered as his eyes misted over. "I was worried about not having money, but I also knew that those days wouldn't last forever. I already had a job lined up when I finished with school."

"Were you working while you were going to school?" Mike asked.

"I was clerking for a downtown law firm. I wouldn't let Elizabeth's parents support us, although I know that her father was giving her money all of the time. We started acquiring too many possessions that I knew we couldn't afford on my salary. I can't believe that I couldn't see how spoiled and selfish she was."

"Love is blind," Brinker said as the other man nodded. "Tell us about the morning that your son died."

"July 23, 1966," he said as he glanced at his calendar. "Almost 13 years ago. I knew that something was wrong even before Elizabeth had gone in to get him. It was almost nine o'clock in the morning and Marshall never slept through the night. He was always awake when I was getting ready to go to work. Elizabeth went to get him and then I heard her scream out my name. When I went into his room, he was cold and stiff in his crib. I knew that he'd been dead for several hours."

"What time did Elizabeth normally put him to bed?" Mike asked.

"You have to understand that it's been a long time, but I think it was usually around 7:30 or eight. He'd usually wake up a couple of times, at around midnight and then again at around three. After that, he'd sleep until six or 6:30 as I was getting ready for work."

Mike thought it was unusual for a five-month-old to not be sleeping at least most of the night. But the timeline gave Elizabeth at least two opportunities to smother her son. "What was the official cause of death?" He asked.

"I don't think it was thoroughly investigated. The way that I remember it was the doctor at the hospital who told us that sometimes babies just died. They just put 'Crib Death' on the death certificate and we had him cremated," he remembered. "I don't even think it was called SIDS back then."

"Whose idea was it to have the baby's body cremated?" Brinker asked.

"Elizabeth's," he cringed as he looked at the two detectives. "I remember that we argued about it right up until the morning of the funeral. My parents were mortified that she'd want to put our son in a furnace. My mother was Jewish and her parents had died in the camps, so the idea was particularly barbaric to her for obvious reasons."

"Why'd you finally agree to it?" Mike asked.

"Because you soon learned that there was no peace to be had with Elizabeth unless you gave in to her every wish. I got tired of her constantly harping on me about it. It was 'her baby' and the idea of putting him in a box in the ground just made her sick. It went on and on."

"You divorced right afterwards?" Mike guessed as Elliot nodded.

"I filed for divorce that December. I just couldn't live with her anymore. She refused to even discuss having another child and I got tired of her running to daddy for every little thing. If you ask me, they had a sick relationship."

"Do you know how she met her current husband?" Brinker asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I've only met him at social functions a few times, but fortunately she's never been with him. He seems like a nice enough guy, but stuffy in that upper crust British way. So, do you think that she killed the little girl?"

"We can't discuss an ongoing investigation," Brinker told him.

"I guess I got away lucky. I've been married three times since her, but I've got two great kids now so I can't complain too much."

"You do seem to be doing okay for yourself," Mike looked around the office.

"Being an entertainment attorney is where the money is these days. It's definitely never boring."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilson," Brinker stood up and shook the lawyer's hand as Mike followed suit.

"Anytime. If you do see Elizabeth, tell her that I hope she burns in hell."

"We'll just tell her that you said 'hi,'" Brinker told him as they left the office and headed for the elevator. "Three ex-wives," he shook his head as he punched the button to go downstairs.

"Four if you include Elizabeth."

"His exes probably get every dime that he makes from representing Steve McQueen or Marlon Brando or whoever his client is at the moment."

"You're probably right. I just can't wait to get home and tell my wife about the pictures that I saw on his wall. I never thought being a detective would be like this," Mike grinned as they walked toward the unmarked in the parking garage.

"It's not usually this glamorous, so don't get too used to it," Brinker tossed Mike the car keys. "You drive. I want to look over my notes."

"Hey, we're throwing my daughter a birthday party this Saturday if you'd like to come. It's out at Lt. Ryker's place, but I can get you a map," Mike said as he started the car.

"Danko, I'm not overly fond of children, especially small children, but thank you for the invitation," Brinker said as Mike pulled out of the underground garage.

"But, you have children," Mike reminded him as he turned onto Wilshire.

"Boys and they aren't small anymore. I'm glad that you love your daughter, but I'm just not quite that sentimental."

"Now you sound like our suspect."

"Don't get me wrong, Danko. I'd never harm either of my sons or anybody else's kids, for that matter. I think those that do should be stoned. But, I also don't get all gooey and mushy over them. If you've noticed, I've been letting you handle the interviews for Alexandra."

"I thought that was because you were 'delegating,'" Mike reminded him.

"I don't interview children very well. I can't develop that rapport with them. I don't care who their favorite teacher is or what their favorite food is. You don't have to play those bullshit games with adults. Give me a roomful of them any day."

"What if it was a roomful of serial killers?"

"Those, too. I'm envious of those cops in Florida who nabbed Ted Bundy," he said in admiration.

"Would you really want a killer of that caliber here?"

"No, but I'd sure as hell want to be the one who ended his reign of terror."

Later that night . . .

"The guy is quirky," Mike was complaining about Brinker as he lay in bed waiting for Jill to join him.

"Define 'quirky,'" she said as she spit out a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Well, for one thing, he accused me of being 'sentimental' regarding Mary Kate. He said that he has two sons, but he's just not as 'sentimental' about that as I am about Mary Kate. It makes it sound like he can't stand to be around his kids," he said as Jill walked over and got into bed.

"Maybe he can't. Every parent has a different style, sweetheart," she leaned over and kissed him. "So, tell me again about this entertainment lawyer. Whose pictures did he have on his wall?" She grinned as he made a face.

"I love you. Go to sleep," he ignored her question as he reached over and turned off his lamp, sending the room into darkness.

***MJMJMJ***

Saturday morning, Jill was busy fixing Mary Kathryn's hair for the birthday party when the doorbell rang. "Mike, can you get the door? I'm kind of tied up right now!"

"Literally or figuratively?" He grinned as he walked out of the kitchen and made his way to the front door.

"If I let her go, she's going to run away again and I really don't feel like chasing her a second time," she said as Mike opened the door and stood aside to let Jen and Alexandra into the house.

"Good morning," Jen greeted her friend as she watched Jill wrapping Mary Kate's long curls around her index finger. "A pink party dress? I don't think I've ever seen her looking so much like a little girl."

"The dress is for my mother-in-law," Jill explained as she tied the long curls back with a pink satin ribbon. "She likes seeing her looking like a little girl. As soon as the in-laws leave, I'll put her in her usual attire."

"And get rid of the curls?" Alexandra suggested as she made a face.

"Are you kidding? I had to tie her hair in strips of old bed sheet to get it to look this way. The hair stays," she said as she released her daughter. "Where are Willie and Thomas?"

"At the house," Jen said. "We just wanted to see if you were ready and I wanted to see what the birthday girl looked like."

"Let's get this show on the road then," Jill said. "We'll see you out there."

They decided to take Jill's car because it had better air conditioning. Jill placed Mary Kathryn in between her and Mike in the front seat as he started the car and began the long drive out to Eddie's. Before they were halfway there, Mary Kathryn decided that she wanted to sit on Jill's lap so that she could look outside. "Are we going to stay out there or are we going to come back into town?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. Let's just play it by ear and see how much everybody has to drink," Jill looked over at him.

"My mother's a little upset. She wants to know why I didn't extend invitations to my brother and sisters."

"What'd you tell her?" Jill asked as Mary Kathryn played with her necklace.

"I told her that we wanted to downsize from last year," he smiled as Jill smiled back.

Eddie heard them pull into the drive and he rushed out of the house and had Jill's door opened before the car stopped. Mary Kate squealed happily as he picked her up in his arms and kissed her. "Horsies!" She cried out as Jill got out of the car.

"You can see the horses later," Jill told her as she kissed Eddie. "Willie and Jen are right behind us."

"I can take her out to see the horses now," Eddie suggested as Jill shot him a dirty look. "What?"

"Take her out there later, after the party. I don't want her covered in horse manure before she has a chance to cover her dress in cake and ice cream," Jill said as she walked past him into the house.

"You can take her out there once my mother's seen her in her dress," Mike gave his former boss a conspiratorial grin as he also went into the house.

In the backseat of Willie's car, Alexandra watched the scenery flash by her. "Jennifer said that Lt. Ryker used to be your boss. How can you be friends with him?" She asked as Willie concentrated on the road.

"I wouldn't exactly call us 'friends,'" he said. "He's always been thick as thieves with Mike and Jill, but he's not as close with me or Terry."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure. It's not something that I've ever cared to ask him about. I learned a lot from him and I'll always be grateful for that, but I doubt that he'll ever be godfather to any of my kids."

"I always find him a little scary," Jennifer admitted as she turned to face Alexandra.

"Scary? In what way?"

"He's not scary," Willie argued as he stared at his wife. "He's just a little rough around the edges."

When they arrived at Ryker's, Willie parked behind Mike's car as they all got out. They could hear voices from around back, so they all walked toward the back of the house where everybody was gathered around a round table. "Was Terry on his way?" Mike asked as he saw Willie approaching.

"Yeah. He said that he was picking up his date and then he'll be here. Where are your folks?"

"They're also on their way. Alexandra, come on and meet the lieutenant and Trap," Mike motioned her over and introduced her.

"We've heard a lot about you," Eddie said as he shook her hand.

"Same here," she smiled shyly as she heard more voices.

"That sounds like my parents," Mike got up and walked toward the front of the house. When he returned moments later, his parents were with him. "Pop, mother, this is Alexandra Smyth. She's staying with the Gillis'. Alexandra, these are my parents, Jonathan and Marie-Claire Danko."

"How do you do?" Mrs. Danko greeted Alexandra before turning her attention to Mary Kate, who was perched on her mother's lap. "Oh, Mary Kathryn looks so pretty today."

Mary Kate smiled brightly as her grandmother picked her up and she was fussed over by both grandparents. "Her gifts are in the trunk of the car. I'll get Michael and William here to help me bring them around," Mr. Danko said as Jill felt like groaning.

'Gifts.' In other words, a replay of last year when they'd bought a whole toy store full of toys for her birthday. Christmas was the same thing. They had no idea that most of the gifts ended up being donated. There was just no way that one child could play with everything they bought her. There was no way that she or Mike could even compete with the generosity and she knew that Mary Kathryn was going to realize it when she got older. Jill had even made it a point to bring gifts for Thomas today so that he wouldn't feel left out. She knew that Mike's parents would never even consider doing something like that.

Terry arrived a short time later with Serena Hall. Mike, Jill, and Willie exchanged looks as he introduced Serena to Lt. Ryker and Trap.

Alexandra had never had such a good time as the party finally got underway. The best part of the day was when Mike hung a bear-shaped piñata from a tree and they all took turns trying to hit it and break it. Wearing a blindfold and being turned around three times, she was handed a stick as everybody shouted encouragement at her. When the piñata was finally broken open, candy fell down in a shower to the ground as the kids scrambled to get as much as they could. It was better than Halloween.

They sang 'Happy Birthday' to Mary Kate, ate cake and ice cream as the birthday girl got positively filthy, much to her grandmother's horror. Alexandra could sense that Jill wasn't crazy about her in-laws. She couldn't say that she blamed her. They both seemed so stuffy to her. She had trouble believing that Mike was their son. He was nothing at all like them. She could see both of the Danko's visibly relax once they left the party. Jill took Mary Kathryn into the house and changed her clothes, bringing her outside moments later in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "We're going to need a U-Haul to take her presents home," Jill complained as she watched Mary Kathryn playing with Thomas.

"Can I go looking around?" Alexandra asked as she got up from the picnic table.

"Of course," Jen told her. "The barn is back that way," she pointed.

"I won't be long," she promised as she started to walk off.

"Can we go?" Thomas begged as he looked between Alexandra and his parents.

"I'll watch them," Alexandra promised as she held out her hands.

"So, where are you with the case?" Serena asked Mike after the children had walked away.

"I'm not sure," he answered vaguely. "We did find out that Elizabeth was previously married and she had a son, who also mysteriously died under suspicious circumstances. Trap just got back from Harrisburg, but we promised that we wouldn't discuss the case today, so he's going to come over to the house tomorrow to let us know what he found out," Mike said as he opened a beer. "We're hoping to wrap things up soon."

"Ms. Callaghan has been talking to Alexandra's grandparents in London and they want her to come to live with them. It's really the most stable place for her. In the event that Elizabeth is convicted, the fact doesn't change that her father is never home. She can't go back to traveling with him," Serena pointed out.

"When would this happen?" Jennifer asked.

"We're working out the details now. Hopefully we can get her relocated and settled before school starts. If not, then as soon as possible."

"Should we tell her?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"That's up to you. Jennifer, she knew that staying with you and Willie wasn't going to be a permanent solution. She's a smart girl. She's going to be fine."

***MJMJMJ***

Trap was feeding the horses when the three children wandered in. "If you guys can be quiet, I'll show you something," he led them over to where the hay bales were stacked in a corner.

At first Alexandra didn't see anything. But, once her eyes adjusted, she could make out several wiggling forms in the hay. "Kittens," she whispered as she pointed them out to the smaller children.

"Kitties!" Mary Kate squealed as Alexandra looked at her with a finger to her lips.

"We have to be quiet," she warned as she looked up at Trap. "How old are they?"

"About two weeks old. They just opened their eyes. The mother's around here somewhere. You can hold them if you're careful," he said as he went back to his chores.

They were still playing with the kittens when Mike walked in to find them almost an hour later. "Kitties, daddy!" Mary Kate shouted as Mike lifted her into his arms.

"I know and no, you can't have one. Hey, we're getting ready to head out. Willie and Jen were worried about you two. Come on," he said as Alexandra reluctantly replaced the kitten that she was holding.

Mary Kate fell asleep between her parents in the front seat of the car before they got home. Mike carried her into the house and took her upstairs to her room where Jill undressed her and put her into her nightgown without waking her up. She put her into her crib and covered her with her favorite blanket as Mike came up behind her and slipped his arms around her. "She had a long day," she smiled as she pressed herself into Mike's body.

"I just can't believe she's going to be two years old. So, when are we going to talk about having another one?" He teased as he kissed her neck.

"I'm not quite ready to have another one," she said as she turned around to face him. "But, we can always go practice," she smiled as she kissed him.

"Practice is good," he agreed as he took her hand and led her out of Mary Kate's bedroom, partially closing the door behind them. They'd just reached their bedroom when the phone started to ring. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Ignore it. If it's important, they'll call back," Jill kissed him as she pulled him toward their bed as the phone continued ringing.

"Hold on," he said as he reached across the bed and grabbed the phone. "Whoever this is, this had better be good!"

"Mike, it's Willie," his friend's voice came over the line. "I'm sorry for whatever I might be interrupting, but you need to come over here."

"Why? What's wrong?" Mike asked as Jill looked at him.

"You'll see it when you get here," he said ominously as the line went dead.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimers: I don't own 'The Rookies.' If I did, things would've been a lot hotter between Mike and Jill. Well, as hot as the censors would let me get away with considering that it was the 70's.**

**Summary: Things escalate to a whole new level as the Gillis' are forced to make a hard decision regarding Alexandra.**

**Alexandra finally convinces the Danko's and the Gillis' of who the real target is as Harrison Smyth makes a horrible discovery about his wife.**

Chapter 8: Just who is in Danger Here?

"Stay here with Mary Kate," Mike warned as he left the bedroom. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Mike, what's wrong?" She asked as she followed him down the stairs.

"I don't know, yet," he said as he walked into his office and over to the gun safe. He unlocked it and removed his off-duty revolver, checking that it was loaded. "Lock the door behind me and don't open it to anybody."

She did as he asked her to. She locked all of the locks on the door and leaned against it as she wondered what had happened at Willie and Jen's. She hoped that nobody was hurt.

Mike quickly walked up the street to his neighbor's, where he found his friend and his wife standing in the driveway, staring at Jen's car. It didn't take him long to see what it was that they were staring at. The entire back windshield was gone from the Monte Carlo. "Did you notice anything when you drove by the house on your way home?" Willie asked.

"No, but I have to admit that I wasn't looking at your driveway as I drove past. Did you ask the neighbors if they heard anything?" Mike asked.

"I did and they didn't," Willie told him. "That isn't the worst of it," he said as he motioned for Mike to follow him.

Following his friend, he saw that someone had taken a key and gouged several ugly scratches on the side of the car. "Where are the kids?"

"Alexandra took Thomas inside. I should go inside and get him ready for bed," Jennifer said as she turned and went back into the house.

"You think that this has to do with Alexandra, don't you?" Mike asked his friend, stating the obvious as he heard footsteps behind him.

"What's going on?" Terry asked.

"Someone's trying to send us a message," Willie said in a tight voice as he showed Terry the damage to his car.

"Have you called the cops and reported this?"

"The last time I checked, we _are _the cops, Terry. Remember?"

"How's Jen?"

"How do you think? Right now, she's numb, but I'm sure that I'm going to get an earful as soon as I go inside."

"Let me go and call a unit," Terry said as he began walking toward Willie's front door.

"You might want to also call Ms. Callaghan or your _girlfriend_," Willie called after him.

"Why?"

"Because if that girl's putting my family in danger, I want her out of my house tonight!" Willie shouted at him.

"Willie, we don't have any proof that Elizabeth had any part of this," Mike pointed out to him.

"Are you kidding me? How much more proof do you need, Mike? Does she have to kill Jen or my son before you decide to lock her up? I don't understand why she's still walking around free!"

"Come on, Willie! That isn't fair," Mike told him as Terry went into the house. "You know how the law works. I'd love nothing better than to throw her in jail and throw away the key, but we have to wait for an indictment. As soon as the grand jury gives us one, I'll slap the cuffs on her myself."

"A unit's on the way," Terry said, coming out of the house moments later. "I also called Serena. She said to leave Alexandra where she is for tonight and she'll talk to Rita Callaghan first thing in the morning. She told me that no judge is going to sign an emergency removal order tonight."

"Terry, did you not hear what I said a few minutes ago? I want her gone _tonight_!"

"Look, let's take this inside," Mike said, always trying to be the calm voice of reason. "There's no reason to bring the entire neighborhood into this."

Inside the house, Jennifer was giving Thomas a bath when Alexandra came into the bathroom. "I heard Willie outside. He's really upset," she said as she watched Thomas play in the tub.

"I'm really upset, too," Jennifer told her. "I don't know why these things are happening."

"I heard him telling Mike and Terry that he wants me to leave," she said as tears choked her voice. "Jennifer, please don't make me go away!"

"That's not up to me," Jennifer said in a tight voice as she removed Thomas from the tub and wrapped a towel around him. "Alexandra, I don't know who the target is for what's been happening around here. If it's you, it's not safe for you to stay here. You understand that, don't you? If it's me, maybe it'll stop if you're not here anymore."

"What if I stay with Mike and Jill?" She suggested hopefully as Jennifer glared at her.

"And, what if it puts Jill and Mary Kate in danger? No," Jennifer picked up Thomas and walked past Alexandra into her son's bedroom where she began putting him into his pajamas. "I'm sorry, Alexandra. I really am. But, you have to understand that right now I don't need the stress. I have to think about Thomas and the new baby."

"I don't want Alexandra to go away!" Thomas wailed as his mother put him into his bed.

"I know, sweetie. I don't either, but she can't stay," she bent down and kissed him goodnight. "Let's go downstairs."

"If I get sent away, I'll run away!" She threatened as the three men entered the house.

"Don't you understand? You can't stay here anymore!" Willie roared as the young girl burst into tears.

"Willie, take it easy," Mike told him. "She's just a young girl. None of this is her fault."

"No, it's yours," Willie turned toward him. "It's yours for suggesting that she stay here in the first place."

"The patrol car's here," Terry said, glad to be saved by the bell, so to speak.

"Why don't you go home? I'll take care of things from here," Willie said as he went outside to talk to the patrol officer.

"Alexandra, get your things together. You can stay at our house tonight until Ms. Callaghan finds you a foster home," Mike said as he turned to face Jennifer. "Jennifer, I'm really sorry."

"I know that, Mike. I'm sorry, too. But you know as well as I do that you can't reason with William when he gets like this. You'd have better luck arguing with a brick wall."

"He's only looking out for his family. I understand that better than anybody. Tell him to call me when he calms down," Mike said as Alexandra came downstairs carrying her small suitcase.

Jill was sitting on the sofa when she heard Mike's key in the front door. She was surprised when Alexandra followed him into the house. "What's going on?" She asked as she got up.

"I need to talk to you for a minute," he told her as he looked at Alexandra. "Alexandra, just wait here. We'll be back in a few minutes," he led Jill upstairs to their bedroom and closed the door. "Someone did a number on Jen's car. They shattered the back windshield and keyed the side of it. Of course, we suspect Elizabeth Smyth. Anyway, Willie went berserk and threw Alexandra out. Terry called Serena, who said there' nothing she could do until morning. She said no judge would sign a removal order tonight. So, she's going to stay here for tonight."

"Just tonight?" Jill asked as Mike nodded.

"Serena told Terry that they'll place her in an emergency foster home tomorrow. I understand why Willie's so upset, Jill, but that girl is an innocent pawn in all of this."

"But she's being targeted for some reason. Has she told you everything that she knows?"

"She says that she has. Look, I'm not going to interrogate her tonight. She's upset enough as it is. I have to talk to Trap tomorrow. I'll try to talk to her before Ms. Callaghan comes for her. I'll show her where she's going to sleep," he said as he went back downstairs.

Mike showed Alexandra to the guest room and she stood by the wall, watching as he put clean sheets on the bed. "The Gillis' hate me, don't they?" She asked as tears began to once more pour down her face.

"They don't hate you. Willie's upset right now. You and I need to talk tomorrow before Ms. Callaghan gets here," he said as he turned the bed back.

"I meant what I said a little while ago. If she puts me in a foster home, I'll just run away," she vowed as she got into bed.

"You won't do any such thing and I'm going to tell you why. If you start running away, they're going to put you in a group home. Some of those places are worse than anything Charles Dickens could dream up. Just ask Lt. Ryker."

"But I was happy there. Haven't you ever been anywhere where you were truly happy for the first time in your life?"

"Yes, but Alexandra, we think that Elizabeth is doing these things. If we can put you in an anonymous home, she won't be able to find you. Try to get some sleep," he said as he walked over and turned off the light.

Alexandra tried to stop the tears, but they wouldn't stop. She didn't know why she couldn't make them understand that she wasn't the target. Jennifer wasn't even the target. Mary Kate looked too much like Grace. Elizabeth was delusional. Alexandra had always known that even before she understood what the word meant. She'd told Jill what Maggie had said about Mary Kate resembling Grace, but Jill had just blown her off. Elizabeth thought Jennifer was Mary Kate's mother because that was whom Elizabeth had seen her with that day at the grocery store. How could she make them listen to her and more importantly, believe her? She had to work fast because after tomorrow, she knew she'd probably never see any of them again.

After the patrol officer and Terry had gone home, Willie went into the house and made sure all of the doors and windows were locked before going upstairs. He checked on Thomas before going into his and Jen's room and closing the door behind him. "I've been such an idiot," he announced as Jennifer looked at him from bed.

"What're you talking about?" She asked as he came and sat beside her.

"Mike tried to explain it to me a long time ago. Something about how he'd walk through fire if he had to in order to keep Jill safe. He said it only got deeper when she had Mary Kate. I never got that feeling until tonight. I've always been the cool guy, the one who let everything just roll off of his back. Until tonight. I swear, Jennifer, if that woman had been standing in front of me, I really think that I could've killed her," he said as he felt her rubbing his back and shoulders.

"Do you really think that sending Alexandra away is the answer?"

"Sweetie, I have to think of you, Thomas, and this little one," he placed one hand on her slightly bulging stomach. "Tonight's made it obvious that it's not safe having her stay here. I know how much you and Thomas love her. I love her too, but she's not my priority. You are," he leaned toward her and kissed her.

***MJMJMJ***

The next morning Mike got up and called Brinker. After telling him about the events of the night before, Brinker asked, "Did the Gillis' file a report?"

"Yes, last night."

"And the neighbors didn't see or hear anything?"

"Not a thing. It was as if a ghost had struck."

"What time are you talking to your wife's friend? The P.I.?"

"He's coming over at ten," Mike said as he looked at his watch.

"Put on a pot of coffee," Brinker ordered. "I'll be there at a quarter till." Brinker hung up and looked at his watch as he picked up the receiver and dialed. When someone answered he spoke quickly. "This is Lt. Brinker of the SCPD. I need to speak to Mister or Missus Smyth."

After several minutes, a crisp British accent came over the line. "This is Mr. Smyth. How may I help you, lieutenant?"

"Oh good, you're still in town. I need to meet with you and your wife in about 20 minutes."

"Of course," he said as the line went dead.

When Brinker arrived at the Smyth's home exactly 20 minutes later, the maid let him in and led him into the drawing room. She bid him to wait as she went to get her employer's. As he waited, Brinker looked around the room. There were several expensive paintings on the wall, but no family portraits that he could see. He turned around as the door opened and his suspect entered, followed by her husband. "I'm going to come right to the point," he said as he stared at Elizabeth Smyth. "Where were you last night?"

"I was here."

"All evening?"

"Yes, lieutenant, all evening. What are you harassing me about this time?"

"You weren't in the Gillis' neighborhood at all last night?"

"Lieutenant, you've already asked that question and my wife has already answered it. She said that she was here last night. You know, I'm really beginning to resent this harassment of my family," Mr. Smyth said huffily.

"Then call the chief," Brinker told him. "Were you here last night, as well?"

"I had a business meeting. When I arrived home at eleven, Elizabeth was already in bed."

"So, she could've stepped out earlier and you wouldn't have known it. How do you know that she was here all evening?"

"Because she told me that she was here all evening."

"And of course she'd have no reason to lie to you, would she? Let me just tell you, Mrs. Smyth, that your days of freedom are numbered. The grand jury is meeting, as we speak."

"I've already told you what happened to Grace," she said in a haughty voice. "The one that you should be talking to is Alexandra. She never liked her sister."

"Elizabeth, that's enough," her husband stopped her. "Are you done, lieutenant?"

"For now."

"Then I'll walk you out," Smyth said as he led Brinker out of the room. When he returned a few minutes later, he turned to his wife. "Elizabeth, why are you making these outrageous accusations about Alexandra? You know perfectly well how she felt about Grace."

"Oh, would you stop your constant championing of your precious, genius daughter," she snapped. "It makes me sick how you're constantly fawning over her."

"You weren't here last night, were you?" He asked as she looked at him with a chilly smile. "Oh my God, what did you do?"

"Oh stop! It was nothing violent, I assure you. I was just trying to get Grace back, but she wasn't there."

"Good Lord, you've gone completely mad," Smyth collapsed into a chair as the realization began to dawn on him. "What've you done?"

"Oh stop being so damn British!" She snapped once again as she walked out of the room.

For the very first time since learning of his daughter's tragic death, Harrison Smyth found himself wondering if perhaps Alexandra wasn't the killer, after all. There'd been too many things that hadn't made sense, but Elizabeth had been able to explain away all of the inconsistencies. He left the room and made his way up to the third floor, ducking under the crime scene tape that was still strung across the nursery door. He didn't know what those two detectives had been looking for, but maybe he could find it and solve this mystery once and for all. After all, he'd always considered himself a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

***MJMJMJ***

Brinker arrived at the Danko's house at quarter till 10, just as he'd said that he would. Mike let him into the house and introduced him to Jill before he led him into the kitchen where he handed him a coffee cup. "I stopped by the Smyth's," he told Mike as he made himself a cup of coffee. "She says that she was home all evening. I asked her husband if he could back up her alibi. He said that he had a business meeting, but when he arrived home at around 11, she was already in bed."

"So, it's possible that she wasn't home earlier in the evening?"

"Not only possible, but I'd say highly probable," Brinker said as he and Mike sat at the dining room table. "You have a nice home."

"Thanks," Mike smiled. "It's still a work in progress, but we're happy with it. The apartment we were living in just wasn't big enough for us and a baby."

"I remember those days," Brinker sighed as he heard the doorbell ring.

Trap entered the kitchen a couple of minutes later carrying a manila folder in his hands. He walked over and fixed a cup of coffee before joining the two men at the table. "Trap, this is my partner, Lt. Steven Brinker. Loo, this is T.R. Applegate."

"Trap," the P.I. said as he shook Brinker's hand.

"How was Harrisburg?" Mike asked.

"Cooler than it is here, thank God," Trap said as he opened the folder. "Not surprisingly, most of Dr. Townsend's colleagues weren't exactly forthcoming with information. But, the few that I did manage to get information from all said basically the same thing. Dr. Townsend was a brilliant doctor and a great humanitarian."

"That doesn't exactly give us a lot to work with," Mike pointed out.

"I know that, Mike," Trap said irritably as Brinker grinned. "I talked to one of his nurses. She told me that Dr. Townsend's license was suspended after a couple of his patients died due to negligence on the doctor's part."

"In what way was he negligent?" Brinker asked.

"The nurse said that the good doctor appeared to be under the influence. She said that when the first patient died, the anesthesiologist tried to warn him that the patient's blood pressure was dropping. She said that Dr. Townsend ignored him and told him that he knew what he was doing."

"Did any of his colleagues know his daughter?" Brinker asked.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, one of them told me that Elizabeth paid a visit to one of her father's former colleagues last October. The partner refused to talk to me even after I threatened him with a subpoena. I have a feeling that this partner might be where she obtained the succinylcholine."

"It fits," Brinker said. "If she went to Pennsylvania in October, then she planned when it was the right time to kill the baby."

"I just wonder if Alexandra was also a target," Mike wondered out loud.

Jill found Alexandra in Mary Kathryn's room, stacking blocks with the little girl. She sat on the floor next to them. "Is Ms. Callaghan coming to take me away?" She asked as she looked at Jill.

"She called a little while ago. She said that she found a wonderful foster family for you. They have two girls who are about your age."

"She shouldn't bother. I'm just going to run away," Alexandra threatened once again. "And, if she sends me back, I'll just run away again."

"Now why do you want to go and do something stupid like that? Alexandra, you do understand that Ms. Callaghan is moving you for your own protection?"

"Jill, I've already told you that I'm not the target. Wait here," she left the room and returned with her purse a few minutes later. She took out her wallet and opened it to a picture of Grace that had been taken shortly before she died. "Elizabeth is crazy. She believes in reincarnation and crystals and all kinds of mystical stuff. I'm not the target," she repeated. "Mary Kate is."

"Alexandra, how can Mary Kathryn be the target? I mean, sure, maybe she looks a little like Grace, but if she were the target, then I'd be receiving the threats, and not Jennifer."

"That's because Elizabeth doesn't know that Mary Kate is your daughter. The only person she's ever seen her with is Jennifer. The time at the grocery store and at the park. You weren't their either time. Listen, if I leave and everything stops, then I'll admit that I was wrong. But I don't think that I am. How can I go to a new home worrying that something awful is going to happen?" Alexandra's lips trembled.

"Sweetie, you let me and Mike take care of Mary Kathryn, okay?" Jill put her hands on her shoulders. "That's our job. Your job is to just be a little girl."

A short while later, Serena Hall arrived with Ms. Callaghan, who went to the guest room and watched Alexandra as she repacked her suitcase. "How long will I have to stay in the new home?" She asked.

"I don't know, Alexandra. I've been in touch with your grandparents in London. We're in the process of getting the paperwork completed so that you can go and live with them. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer."

"What if I hate it?"

"Alexandra, please try to bear with me here. It won't be for long. A month at the most."

Mike and Jill both hugged her and promised to keep in touch. "I'll give you her contact information," Ms. Callaghan told Mike as they prepared to leave. "I know that you probably still have questions for her."

After they'd left, Jill went to get Mary Kathryn for lunch. She cuddled her in her arms as she thought about what Alexandra had told her. She just wasn't sure. And her uncertainty made her wonder if she should tell Mike. Maybe if she did, he could tell her if she was being silly or not. She really needed for him to tell her that she was worrying for no reason. She placed Mary Kathryn in her high chair as she went into the kitchen to make lunch.

Mary Kate was banging her hands on the high chair tray when Mike came into the room. "Out, daddy! Out!" She called out as Mike stooped to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"After lunch," he said as he went into the kitchen. "Babe, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about something that Alexandra said to me a while ago," she said as she cut up tomatoes.

"If it was about running away, I tried to talk her out of that last night. I told her that if she caused trouble, she'd just be put in a group home and they're a Dickens nightmare."

"No, it wasn't about running away," she turned to face him. "Mike, she insists that she's not the target. She said that Mary Kathryn's the target."

"What're you talking about?" Mike asked in horror.

"She said that Elizabeth is a firm believer in reincarnation and crystals. Mystical stuff like that. She said that the first time Elizabeth saw Mary Kathryn, she became convinced in her head that it was Grace."

"Maggie told Brinker and me that Elizabeth believes in cryogenics which is why she placed Grace in the freezer after she died. But, I don't really think Elizabeth is crazy enough to think that Mary Kate is actually Grace," he walked over to the refrigerator.

"But what if she does?" Jill asked him. "If she thinks that Mary Kathryn is Grace, we can't continue to let Jennifer babysit her because she thinks that Mary Kathryn is Jen's daughter. And if she sees Mary Kathryn with me, she's going to refocus her attention. What're we going to do?"

"Right now, we're going to calm down and have lunch," he said as he gently kissed her. "Maybe you should take Mary Kate and stay out at Eddie's. At least until the grand jury comes back."

"Mike, I don't want to be away from you. Besides, I have to work," she reminded him as they sat at the table.

"So, you can put her in the daycare at the hospital or leave her with my mother again," he said as he put some tomatoes on Mary Kate's high chair tray.

"Yeah, I suppose," she said as she stirred the food on her plate.

At the Gillis', Willie was upstairs in Thomas' room, watching as his little boy operated his train. "How come Alexandra went away?" He asked.

"It was time for her to," Willie answered in a vague tone as Thomas stared at him.

"Are you going to make me go away, too?"

"No, why would you think that?" Willie asked as he lifted the little boy onto his lap.

"Maybe you and mommy are going to like the new baby more than me," he answered with the simplicity of a child.

"Buddy, your mother and I love you very much and we're also going to love this new baby very much. Let's go see if lunch is ready," he got up and put his son on the floor.

"Mommy, can I play in the water?" Thomas shouted as he ran into the kitchen and up to his mother.

"I've got a better idea. Why don't we see if Mary Kate wants to play in the water, too?" She smiled as he jumped up and down. "I think that daddy needs to talk to Mike."

"Hey, I'm not kissing and making up," Willie grabbed some potato chips as the phone rang. "Why don't you get the phone?"

"Hello?" Jennifer picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

Willie looked at her as he helped Thomas into his booster seat at the table. "Who is it?" He asked.

"I don't know," she said in exasperation. "Hello? Look, say something or hang up!"

"I want my daughter back!" A woman's voice came over the line.

"Listen, Alexandra isn't living here anymore! I don't have her, so you can leave me alone!" Jennifer screamed into the phone as Willie came over to her.

"Do you really think that I give a damn about Alexandra? That little daddy's girl can rot in hell for all I care! I want Grace back! I want back the daughter that you stole from me!" The line suddenly went dead.

Jennifer's hands were shaking as she hung up the phone. "Are you okay?" Willie asked as he watched her.

"She's crazy," Jennifer started sobbing. "She thinks that Mary Kate is Grace."

"What?" Willie looked at her in disbelief as Thomas stared at both of his parents.

"She said that she wanted her daughter back. I thought that she meant Alexandra. She said that she doesn't even care about Alexandra. She said that she wants Grace back. She claims that I stole Grace from her. William, she's certifiable," she continued sobbing as William pulled her close and held her. "We have to tell Mike and Jill."

Jennifer was still crying intermittently when they arrived at Mike and Jill's a few minutes later. At her suggestion, Willie also called Terry. Between bouts of crying, Jennifer repeated the phone call she'd received from Elizabeth Smyth. "Alexandra had already told me about Mary Kathryn resembling Grace. I have to admit that at first I didn't believe her, but this confirms what she was talking about," Jill said.

"So, what're we going to do?" Willie asked.

"Jill's going to go back to the arrangement that we had before. Half the week Mary Kate will be in the hospital daycare and the rest of the week she'll be with my mother. Hopefully, if Elizabeth continues to follow you and doesn't see Mary Kate with you, she'll leave you alone," Mike told them.

"How long is it going to take for the grand jury to come back?" Jennifer wanted to know.

"It depends on how many cases they're hearing. It could be days or it could be longer."

***MJMJMJ***

At the house in Brentwood, Harrison Smyth was once again searching the nursery, although he still didn't know what he was looking for. Elizabeth was out of the house, but he hurried, not sure of how long she'd be gone. He picked up a stuffed rabbit from the crib, examining it. He noticed that the stitching appeared to have been repaired. He carried the toy downstairs to his bedroom and found a pair of manicure scissors. He cut opened the top stitch, and opened up the back of the toy, reaching into the stuffing until his hand touched something small and round. He pulled out a small bottle filled with a cloudy looking liquid. He looked at the label, but he couldn't even begin to pronounce the name of the drug printed on the label. He walked over to his nightstand and picked up the phone. "Lt. Brinker, this is Harrison Smyth. I just found something that I think you and your partner would be quite interested in."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimers: I still don't own 'The Rookies.' If I did, they'd be using my plot lines and not the one that the writers dreamed up, although some of those were actually pretty good.**

**Summary: Elizabeth Smyth goes on the run as the police search for her. Her reign of terror against Jennifer Gillis reaches a tragic conclusion.**

Chapter 9: The Noose Begins to Tighten

Brinker was holding the small vial of succinylcholine in his hands as the three men stood in the third floor nursery. "Did you find any syringes?" Brinker asked.

"No, sir. Just that," Smyth pointed toward the vial.

"What made you come up here?" Mike wanted to know.

"Well, I waited for you gentlemen to come back. I really can't explain what made me come up here. I feel responsible for this. I keep telling myself that if I'd been in town more, maybe it wouldn't have happened. I thank you for removing Alexandra from that school," he looked at the two detectives. "I think you might've saved her life."

"Where is your wife now?" Brinker asked.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "She left the house a couple of hours ago and I haven't heard from her."

"Do you know where she might've gone?"

"I assumed that she'd come back home. She doesn't know that I suspect her."

"But she knows that we do," Brinker told him. "What does she drive?"

"A 1978 Mercedes 350SL. I'll get the information for you," Smyth left the room.

"He has to be almost hit in the head with a sledgehammer before he actually believes she could do something like this," Mike said bitterly.

"We call it receiving a moment of clarity," Brinker said as Smyth came back into the nursery with the vehicle information. "I'll put out an APB on this car right away. Mr. Smyth, if you hear from your wife, please contact us right away. Try to convince her that it'd be in her best interest if she turned herself in."

Elizabeth now knew that her husband suspected what he'd done to Grace. But he didn't understand why she'd done it. He didn't understand that Grace wasn't dead. She was alive and living with people that she didn't know. He didn't understand that Elizabeth had to get her back. She knew that if she went back home, Harrison would insist that she do the right thing and go to the police and turn herself in. She couldn't do that when she hadn't done anything wrong. She had to prove that she'd managed to save Grace's life. She'd no longer have to go through life not being able to play like other children. They'd all see after she brought Grace back home. She couldn't believe that woman had the audacity to tell her that she didn't have Grace. Elizabeth had seen her with her own eyes. She'd seen her at the grocery store and at the park. She'd seen her in the front yard when that woman had gone to the curb to get the mail. She'd seen Grace along with the little boy with the dark curly hair. She wondered if that woman had also stolen the little boy from his real parents. Maybe she had to save him, as well.

She knew that the first thing she had to do was change cars. The Mercedes was too noticeable in that middle class neighborhood full of older cars and station wagons. That was how she knew that Alexandra had seen her that one night when she'd been there.

She drove to her mother's house in Beverly Hills. Knowing that her mother was in church most of the day, she made the decision to ask the cook if she could borrow her car. The cook drove an old Ford. It'd fit right in in that neighborhood.

When Gertrude Townsend arrived home after church and lunch with her friends, she immediately noticed Elizabeth's Mercedes parked in the large semi-circular drive. It was very unusual for her daughter to visit without calling first or being summoned. She was frowning when she walked into the house and the maid closed the door behind her. "Is Mrs. Smyth here?" She asked as she looked at the maid.

"No, ma'am. She came and asked to borrow cook's car, and then she left."

Mrs. Townsend didn't ask any further questions as she made her way to the kitchen where the cook was preparing things for Sunday dinner. "Did Miss Elizabeth say what was wrong with her car?"

"No, ma'am," the cook answered respectfully. "She just asked if she could borrow my car for a while. She gave me the keys to her car and said I could drive it if I needed a car."

"I don't want you touching that car," Mrs. Townsend warned. "I'll make arrangements for you to get to and from here. What time was she here?"

"It was earlier this morning."

"Thank you," Mrs. Townsend left the kitchen and went to the phone where she called Lt. Brinker.

Brinker and Mike arrived at the Beverly Hills mansion a short time later, annoyed at having their Sunday further interrupted by this crazy family. But they also wanted to get things wrapped up. It was beginning to take on a life of its own. After speaking to Mrs. Townsend, she showed them to the kitchen where they interviewed the cook. "What make and model is your car?" Brinker asked her.

"A 1963 Ford Fairlane. It's dark blue and more than a little dinged up."

After getting the license plate information, they once more went to talk to Mrs. Townsend. "Do you have any idea where your daughter might go?" Brinker asked.

"Does she have her passport?"

"She was forced to relinquish it, so probably not. Her husband didn't say. We'll call and find out. Do you have any other properties that she might go to?" Brinker asked.

"Young man, just how wealthy do you think I am? I don't have a villa in Switzerland or a beach house in Malibu, although I sometimes wish that I did. If Elizabeth were to go anywhere, it would be the Beverly Hills Hotel. She'd shut herself in a room and order room service. I'm sorry that I can't help you more," she told the two detectives.

"If you hear from her . . . "

"I'll let you know."

***MJMJMJ***

For the next three weeks, Elizabeth followed her quarry everywhere, but she was now puzzled because Grace was no longer with her. What had she done with her? Had they stashed her with grandparents? With friends? She didn't understand it, but it filled her with an all-encompassing fury. That woman wasn't going to hide Grace and get away with it.

***MJMJMJ***

It was not the middle of August and boiling hot outside. Seven and a half months pregnant now, Jennifer wished for a break in the heat. She also wished that Willie hadn't sent Alexandra away because the heat seemed to make Thomas more active than ever. He didn't understand why Mary Kate no longer came over to play. There was just no way to explain to a three-year-old that it just wasn't safe. The last thing she and William wanted to do was scare him.

It was especially hot this particular afternoon. Jen was sitting on the couch trying to finish a baby blanket that she was crocheting. Thomas had been playing with his collection of toy soldiers in front of the TV until he became bored. "Mom," he came over and leaned on her knee. "Mommy?"

"What?" Jen asked as she looked up.

"Can we go swimming?" He pleaded as he looked at her with his father's dark eyes. "Please?"

There was a community pool a couple of blocks from the house, but Jen didn't like taking her son up there by himself because she usually ended up having to chase him. In her advanced state of pregnancy, the last thing she felt like doing was chasing her small son around a crowded swimming pool.

"Why don't we wait until daddy gets home?" She suggested as he began kicking at the floor and sulking. "Go play with your soldiers."

"It'll be too late when daddy gets home," he complained as he continued kicking at the floor. "Call Terry. He'll take me."

"Thomas, Terry isn't home. I said that you can go swimming when your daddy gets home. Now go play!" She shouted at him as his eyes welled up with tears. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. Am I going to have to chase you if we go?"

"I'll be good! I promise!" He cheered up as suddenly as he'd been sulking. "I'll put my bathing suit on!"

She sighed as she put her crocheting away. Something inside was telling her that this wasn't a good idea. Thomas was a pro at promising anything in order to get his way. She wished that Jill was home. At least that way they could take the two kids together. But, since Elizabeth Smyth still hadn't been found, the guys had all decided that it was best if Jill kept Mary Kate far away from Jen's house until she was found. Jen missed her friend as much as Thomas missed his.

Jen burst out laughing when Thomas came thundering down the stairs a few moments later with his swim suit on backwards. "Thomas, you have your suit on backwards," she pointed out to him.

"Oh," he pulled the suit off in the middle of the living room and stepped out of it.

She took the discarded suit and turned it so that he could step into it the right way. She then enfolded him in her arms and hugged him tightly. "I love you. But, mommy really doesn't feel like chasing you. So, please don't get out of the pool and run off. Because if you do, we're coming home and you're taking a nap."

She loaded up his inflatable swim ring and put it in the car as and helped him into the car before getting behind the wheel and backing out of the garage, unaware that she was being followed by a non-descript Ford sedan.

At the pool, Thomas was as good as gold for about 10 minutes. Jennifer had been playing with him in the pool, surrounded by other mothers and their children when he got out and immediately began running toward the deep end. She managed to heave her body out of the pool, but Thomas already had a head-start on her. "Thomas, stop right now!" She called out as she dodged around people, her feet sliding on the wet cement. "Could somebody please stop my son?" She cried out as a nicely dressed woman suddenly reached out and grabbed him, bringing him to a sudden halt.

Jen's heart began to pound as she looked at the woman who'd finally stopped Thomas. She looked strangely out of place in an environment where everybody was wearing bathing suits or shorts. She was dressed in a blue pants suit, with a scarf around her head and a pair of huge sunglasses covering her eyes. "You don't look to be in any shape to be chasing anybody, much less this charming young man," the woman said as she pressed Thomas to her side as he squirmed.

"Thank you for stopping him," she managed to stammer as she took Thomas firmly by the hand and pulled him back to her side. "Come on, Thomas. We're going home now."

"Mom! Mom!" He cried out as Jen almost literally dragged him to the car as people tried not to stare.

"Thomas, don't talk to me! I'm so mad at you right now that I can't even see straight! Get in the car!" She said as she threw his ring in after him. "And yes, I'm telling your daddy about this!"

"But, mom . . . " he tried to say once again as Jen got behind the wheel of the car and tried to calm down. The baby was kicking furiously in retaliation to her anger.

"Thomas, I don't want to hear it!" She pulled out of the parking lot and drove home, not saying anything else until she pulled the car into the garage and turned off the engine. Once she and Thomas were in the house, she looked at him in fury. "Let's change your clothes and then you're taking a nap!"

Jen changed her son into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before putting him into his bed and shutting the door to drown out his shrieks of protest. The baby was by now kicking so hard that she contemplated calling her doctor. She sat down and took several deep breaths as she rubbed her stomach. That finally seemed to do the trick.

She was so angry with Thomas. It was at times like this that she wondered if she could really deal with two children. But, as her mother was so fond of saying, it was too late to back out now. She only had nine more weeks to go. Jill was making plans to throw her a shower at the end of the month. It was something that Jen was looking forward to. William had already promised to take care of Thomas for the entire day, giving his wife a much needed break.

By the time William arrived home shortly after five, Thomas was awake again and playing in his room while Jen made dinner. "Something smells great! I'm starving!" He announced as he walked into the kitchen and kissed Jen before sitting down at the table to sort through the mail. "How was your day?"

"Well, I made the mistake of taking Thomas to the pool earlier," she looked over at her husband.

"He ran away again?" He guessed as she nodded. "I've told you not to take him up there by yourself."

"Well, I told him you'd take him after you got home and he started having a fit. It was just easier to give in than to listen to him whine," she stirred a pan on the stove.

"Jennifer, I know it's easier to give in because there's often no peace until you do, but what're you going to do when you have two of them running around?"

"I knew that this was going to be your reaction, which is exactly why I didn't want to say anything about it! Why is it that every time he misbehaves, it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that," he argued. "But you have to be consistent with him. You can't be harsh with him one minute and give in to his tantrums the next."

"William, I don't give in to him! You know what? If you think that you can do a better job, why don't you quit your job and stay home with the kids and I'll go to work!" She threw her dishtowel down and stormed out of the back door.

The bigger she was getting, the shorter her fuse was becoming. He kept telling himself that it was only for another seven or eight weeks, maybe a little longer. He didn't know whether to go try and calm her down or go upstairs to try to talk to his whirling dervish of a son. He decided to talk to his wife first. He'd been told repeatedly by other people that it did no good to reason with a three-year-old over something that had happened hours earlier because he'd have no memory of it.

He got up and went outside where the air was still as hot as an oven even as the sun was going down. He sat down in the patio chair beside her. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," she sighed as she wiped tears from her face. "Is there something wrong with me? I mean, is there some reason why I can't control my own son? Because if I can't control Thomas, why in the hell am I having a second baby?"

"It's not you," he took her hand and kissed it. "He's a boy and unfortunately, he's 100 percent in that direction. Just like I was. Sometimes I feel guilty for sending Alexandra away."

"No, don't do that. I have to take care of him on my own. I did it before she came along. It isn't fair to expect a 12-year-old girl to act as the live-in nanny. I just want to be able to take him places without him playing escape artist. Is that too much to ask?" She asked as she began to cry again.

"I'll try to talk to him," he pulled her against his shoulder and kissed her.

"I need to finish dinner," she got up and went back into the house.

Thomas was playing with his toy soldiers in his room, making gun noises as he made them fall over from his bed onto the floor. Willie noted with amusement that he seemed to have a battlefield full of dead soldiers. He sat down on the edge of his son's bed as the little boy looked up at him. "Did you fight in a war?" He asked as he made more soldiers fall to their deaths.

"No," Willie didn't want to mention that he'd had wars with his father.

"Mike did."

"I know. Do you remember what happened at the pool today?"

"The lady with the sunglasses was there," Thomas said as Willie stared at him.

"Thomas, there were a lot of ladies with sunglasses. You were outside at the pool."

"No, it was _that _lady."

How could he remember someone that he'd only glanced at briefly over a month before? He had to be mistaken, wasn't he? "Forget the lady for right now," Willie told him. "I want you to listen to me. I mean it, Thomas Andrew," he used his son's full name as the little boy looked at him. "You're getting to be a big boy. Mommy shouldn't have to chase you every time she's taking you somewhere. She's going to need your help when the new baby gets here. Big boys mind their mothers."

"Can I have a clown at my birthday?" He asked as Willie looked at him, wondering how a small child's mind could jump so quickly from one subject to another.

"We'll see," he told him. "Let's go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."

After dinner, Willie took Thomas and walked up the street to Mike and Jill's, leaving Jennifer to enjoy some much needed peace and quiet before Thomas' bedtime. Terry came out of his house as Willie came out of his. "Are you going to Mike and Jill's?" Terry called out.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Mike about something. Can you come over, too?" He called back, not realizing that they were being watched.

Far down the street, Elizabeth raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes, watching the good looking man talking to his neighbor with his little boy beside him. He was obviously about to make the trek up the street to visit with his other neighbor. She knew that they were all cops. In fact, she knew that one of them was one of the detective's investigating Grace's death. They all thought that they were so smart. She doubted that any of them had even gone to college. If the good looking man was taking his little boy up the street with him, that meant that his wife was home alone. Now was the perfect time to find out where she'd hidden Grace. She had to have her stashed somewhere. Elizabeth hadn't seen her in days.

Unknown to the police, Elizabeth had once more switched cars. She'd gone to a friend and was now driving her friends' Ford Explorer, a huge vehicle that was far too plebian for her tastes, but fit in perfectly in this neighborhood. She figured that the Fairlane was too old and would raise too many questions. She also figured that her mother had alerted the police to the possibility that she was driving it.

In the past several weeks, Elizabeth had been alternating between staying with close friends and living it up in posh hotels. Her explanation to her friends for needing a place to stay was that she was having problems with Harrison following the tragic death of Grace. The poor man just wasn't handling her death well, at all. None of them knew that Harrison had returned to Hong Kong. Business called and he couldn't put off his responsibilities any longer. However, he called every day to speak to Mike and Lt. Brinker regarding the status of the case.

***MJMJMJ***

Mike was reading the paper with Mary Kate on his lap when the doorbell rang. He laid the paper down and scooped Mary Kate up as he went to answer the door. The little girl was delighted when she saw Thomas standing there with his father. "I think she's missed him," Mike smiled as he put her on the floor and she grabbed Thomas in excitement. "Come on in. What's going on?"

"Terry should be right behind me," Willie said as he entered the house. "Have you heard anything more about Elizabeth Smyth?"

"Don't close that door!" Terry called out as he walked into the house and Mike closed the door behind him.

"She's managing to stay one step ahead of us. We're not even completely sure what she's driving now, but I doubt it's the Fairlane. Why?"

"Jen took Thomas to the pool today. He claims that she was there," he reported as Jill walked into the room.

"Is he sure? Did you ask Jen?" Jill asked as she looked at the kids playing with Mary Kathryn's toy kitchen.

"I haven't asked her. I didn't want to freak her out. Besides, Thomas misbehaved at the pool and she was already upset enough about that."

"Hey, I have cookies in the kitchen," Jill announced to the kids, who jumped up and down with joy. "Come on," she held her hands out to them as she led them into the kitchen, leaving the three men alone to talk.

"Willie, everybody's looking for her," Mike said. "We think that she's borrowing cars from different friends, but none of them will talk to us without a lawyer, which tells us something right there. She must've taken out a large amount of cash to pay for purchases, because Ryker said there have been no hits on any of her credit cards."

"Mike, I know that you're doing your job. I'm not saying that you're not. But, Jennifer doesn't need the stress. I have to think about her and the baby."

"Maybe you could send her and Thomas out to Eddie's until we find her," Mike suggested as Willie made a face. "Willie, I'm also trying to think of your family. I mean, you guys are my family, too. Let me tell you that if it were my family, I'd send them away."

"That's where you and I differ. I don't want to be away from them, especially with the baby being just weeks away."

"Did Jen say anything about the lady at the pool?" Terry asked.

"No, but like I said, I didn't want to upset her any further by asking. Have you talked any more to Alexandra?"

"No, but I've heard that she's doing all right in her new foster home. Has Serena said anything about the move to London?" Mike turned to Terry.

"They're finishing up the red tape. She said that Alexandra will probably be leaving around the first of September."

"So, how are things going between you and Serena?" Willie grinned at his best friend, anxious to change the subject.

"You remember that old Four Tops song, 'Ain't no Woman like the One I've Got?'" Terry grinned back. "That should tell you more than enough."

"Oh no," Willie groaned as he looked at Mike. "Now he's going to be like you and Jill. Every song on the radio is going to start meaning something."

***MJMJMJ***

Elizabeth Smyth pulled her borrowed Explorer up the street until she was parked at the curb in front of the Gillis'. She got out of the car and quietly closed the door before walking up to the front door. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. She rang the doorbell and waited.

Jen had been sitting on the couch reading a magazine about babies when the doorbell rang. She got to her feet and waddled tiredly to the door and looked through the peephole. Not recognizing the woman at the door, she put the security chain on the door and cautiously opened it. "May I help you?" She asked tentatively as she looked at the woman.

"I'm so sorry to bother you, but my car broke down. I was wondering if I could come in and use your phone to call my husband," she lied as she glanced at Jennifer.

Jen looked over the woman's shoulder toward the curb and saw the Explorer. "Please come in," she said as she removed the chain and opened the door to her Elizabeth inside. "The phone is in the kitchen. Please follow me and I'll show you where it is."

Elizabeth looked around the neat living room as she followed Jen into the kitchen. She saw many photos of Jen's husband and little boy, but there were none of Grace. Walking into the kitchen, she walked over to the phone on the kitchen wall. "Thank you so much," she thanked her as she picked up the receiver and began punching some random numbers.

"You're welcome," Jen said as she left the room, allowing the woman privacy to make her call.

As Elizabeth pretended to make her call, she her eyes fell on a knife block sitting on the kitchen counter. Quietly hanging up, she walked over and removed a butcher knife from the block.

Jen had gone back to her magazine and was leafing through it when she suddenly found herself face to face with a madwoman. "I want my daughter back!" The woman screamed as she came toward Jen with the knife.

Jen would never know how she did it, but somehow she got to her feet and ran up the stairs to hers' and William's bedroom, where she quickly slammed and locked the door with the woman on her heels. She heard the woman frantically banging on the door and trying to force it opened as Jen picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialed Mike and Jill's number. Mike answered on the second ring. "Hello?" His familiar voice came over the line.

"Mike! Mike! Oh my God, she's in the house!" Jen's terrified screams came over the line.

"Jennifer, what're you talking about? Who's in the house?" He looked over at Willie, who'd bolted to his feet. "Where are you?"

"I'm locked in our bedroom!" She screamed.

"Stay where you are! We're on our way!" He ordered her as he hung up the phone as Jill came out of the kitchen with the children in tow. "Stay here with the kids!"

Mike, Terry, and Willie ran out of the house as a car screeched away from the curb. Terry ran after it, trying to get a license plate number. Unable to see the plates, the men raced into the house through the wide-opened front door. "Jennifer!" Willie bellowed as he raced up the stairs to their room. She unlocked the door and fell into his arms, crying hysterically. "Are you okay? How'd she get into the house?"

Mike and Terry were looking around downstairs when Jill entered the house with the kids. "What're you doing here? I thought that I told you to stay at the house with them,' Mike reminded her.

"Is Jennifer okay?" She asked as she ignored his question. Does she need a doctor?"

"Mommy?" Thomas cried out fearfully as Terry walked over and picked up the little boy.

"Mommy's okay, buddy," Terry ruffled his hair as he lifted Mary Kate into his other arm. "Let's go get some ice cream."

"I'll go upstairs and see if Jen's okay. Are you going to call Brinker?" Jill asked as she looked at Mike.

"Yeah."

Willie was sitting with Jennifer on the bed when Jill came in. "Should I take her to the hospital?" Willie asked Jill, his eyes dark with fear.

"Why don't you go downstairs and make her some tea instead?" She suggested as she sat down beside Jen on the bed. Willie reluctantly got up and went to do as Jill requested. "Are you having any pains?"

"No, but the baby's kicking like crazy," she sobbed as Jill handed her some tissues.

"Just take some deep breaths and try to calm down. Mike and I can take care of Thomas tonight," she offered as Jennifer furiously shook her head.

"I'm not letting him out of my sight," she sobbed as Mike and Willie came into the room, Willie carrying a mug of tea in his hands.

"Terry took the kids for ice cream. They were frightened," Willie handed her the tea mug as she nodded.

"Jen, I need to ask you some questions," Mike said as gently as possible as his friend's wife stared at him with eyes full of fear and misery. "How'd Elizabeth get into the house?"

"The doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole and saw this woman that I'd never seen before. I put the chain on the door and she told me that her car had broken down and she needed to call her husband. I saw the car parked at the curb, so I didn't have a reason not to believe her. I'd only seen her wearing sunglasses from a distance. That's why I didn't recognize her. I showed her where the phone was and then I went back into the living room. The next thing I knew, she was standing in front of me with a butcher knife in her hand, asking me where her daughter was. I don't know how I did it, but I ran upstairs and locked myself in here," she said as she began crying again.

"Did you notice what she was driving?" Willie asked.

"It was dark and big. It might've been a truck. William, I think she was at the pool today," she added as the two men and Jill looked at each other. "When Thomas ran off, I shouted for someone to stop him. The lady who did looked like she didn't belong at the pool. She was dressed in a polyester pant suit and was wearing huge dark glasses. For some reason she scared me."

"Are you okay? Are you sure that you don't need to go to the hospital?" Willie asked.

"I'm okay. She kept insisting that I have her daughter. I don't understand what she's talking about. I'm not babysitting Mary Kate, anymore."

"She must think you're hiding Grace from her. Let me see what Brinker wants to do. He's on his way," Mike told her.

When Brinker arrived, he was frustrated by what Mike told him, but there was nothing that they could do. Without a license plate number, they didn't even know what she was driving. "At first light, we'll go around and interview her friends. Offer the first one who talks a deal. In the meantime, I'll arrange for patrol units to make regular sweeps of the neighborhood."

Later that night, after everybody had gone home, Jennifer gave Thomas a bath and read to him before putting him to bed. "Is the bad lady going to come back?" He asked fearfully as she tucked him into bed.

"No, sweetie. She ran away. I don't want you to worry, okay?" She kissed him on his forehead before getting up and turning off his light before going downstairs where William was watching TV.

"Is he okay?" He asked as Jennifer sat down and curled up beside him.

"He's afraid that the 'bad lady' is going to come back," she sighed as he slipped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Mike made a suggestion earlier that sounds like a great idea the more that I sit here and think about it," he looked at her. "He thinks that I should send you and Thomas out to Ryker's until this all blows over. He said that he'd do it if it were Jill and Mary Kate."

"No, William," she shook her head firmly. "I'm not Jill. I don't get along well with Lt. Ryker and Trap. Thomas and I need to be here with you."

"It was just a thought," he hugged her tighter. "I don't want to send you away. I'm just frustrated. Now I'm going to worry about your safety while I'm at work."

"We'll be fine. I promise that I won't answer the door to anybody that I don't know from now on, no matter how sincere their sob story is," she promised as he kissed her.

***MJMJMJ***

The rest of August quietly rolled by. While Jennifer had no more encounters with Elizabeth, the woman continued to follow her in different vehicles that were either rented or borrowed from friends and acquaintances. Ryker was at his wit's end because he was finding nothing that would reveal where she was or what she was doing. Patrol can continued patrolling the area, as well as watching both her residence in Brentwood as well as her mother's home in Beverly Hills, but it was as if she'd vanished into thin air.

Shortly after Labor Day, Thomas began begging to go to the park with Mary Kate. "Mary Kate's with her mommy," Jennifer told him each time he begged.

"Then go get her. I want to go to the park," he begged as his lower lip began trembling.

It had been quiet the past couple of weeks. Jennifer wondered what would the harm be in going to the hospital and giving Jill a break. She was hoping that Elizabeth had finally gotten it through her head that she didn't have her kid. Besides Thomas missed playing with Mary Kate even though the two argued a great deal of the time. "Okay, let's go ask Jill if Mary Kate can play at the park with us," she smiled as Thomas jumped up and down excitedly. "We'll go to the park, and then we'll go to McDonald's."

Jill was surprised when Jennifer showed up with Thomas half an hour later. "What're you doing here?" She asked, coming around the nurses' station to hug her hugely pregnant friend. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Jen quickly assured her. "Thomas wants to go to the park and he wants Mary Kate to join us."

"Jennifer, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I mean, Elizabeth's still out there and . . . "

"Jill, it'll be all right. We're going to the park, surrounded by other people. I told Thomas that I'd take them to McDonald's after the park and there are always lots of people there. We'll be fine," she repeated as she smiled at her friend.

One part of Jill was saying that this wasn't a good idea, but she had to admit that Jennifer was also right. She wasn't going to go somewhere where she'd be alone with the kids. "Come on, I'll go sign Mary Kathryn out of daycare," she said as she walked toward the elevator with Jennifer and Thomas on her heels.

Mary Kate was thrilled to be going to the park with her friend and his mother. "We'll see you at home this evening," Jennifer promised as she took both children by the hand as she adjusted Mary Kate's diaper bag on one shoulder.

Parked in the hospital parking lot, Elizabeth sat up straighter in the driver's seat of the Cadillac El Dorado that she was now driving. Jennifer walked out of the hospital leading the two children by the hand. Had Grace been in the hospital these past few weeks? That wasn't possible. The freezing should've cured her heart condition. She watched as Jennifer helped both children into the backseat of her Monte Carlo and got into the car, driving out of the hospital parking lot.

When Jill got home from work and went into the house, she found a note from Mike saying that he was at Willie's and to join them. They were going to order pizza. She smiled as she walked up the street, waving at Mr. Simpson, who was out in his front yard with Charlie. Willie opened the door when Jill rang the bell. "Where's Mary Kate?" He asked as Mike looked up.

"Jennifer took her and Thomas to the park. She was going to take them to McDonald's afterward, so I doubt they're going to have room for pizza," she joked as she walked over and kissed Mike.

"You let her take Mary Kate?" Mike asked in disbelief, as he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, she pointed out that she was going to be surrounded by people, so she felt that she'd be safe enough, so yeah, I let her take Mary Kathryn. Don't be such a worry wart," she teased him as she smoothed the worry lines around his eyes.

The doorbell rang once again as Willie walked over to let Terry and Serena into the house. "Did you bring the beer?" Willie asked him.

"Just like you asked," he held out a six-pack by the plastic rings. "What's the celebration?"

"Nothing. I just felt like kicking back for once. Jen's been feeling good which has made my life a whole lot easier lately. I just wanted to spread the good cheer. How are things with you two?"

"Real good," Serena smiled as she slipped an arm around Terry's waist. "We've been talking about moving in together."

"Wow," Willie breathed. "That would explain all the singing."

"Singing?" Serena looked puzzled as she glanced between Willie and Terry.

"This guy," Willie pointed at his partner, "sings all of the time. He's driving me crazy."

"That's because he's so happy," she grinned as she kissed Terry.

Jennifer had taken the kids to McDonald's after the park as she promised. They were wearing remnants to the ice cream that she'd bought them after they ate. Tired and sticky, she removed them from the backseat. Everything next happened so fast that she couldn't put together the sequence of events. It all started when she heard Mary Kate scream in terror.

Inside the house, the guys and Jill were teasing Terry and Serena when they heard screaming. Willie ran to the door and yanked it opened. The scene before his eyes galvanized him into action.

Jennifer and Elizabeth Smyth were involved in furious game of tug of war over Mary Kate. Both women were screaming and yanking on the little girl as both children screamed in terror. Just as the men ran forward to subdue Elizabeth, a blur of pure black entered the picture.

The black Labrador Retriever Charlie landed square in the middle of Elizabeth's back, clamping down on the arm that was holding Mary Kate, causing her to lose her grip on the terrified child. When she let go of Mary Kate, it threw Jennifer off balance. She fell backward on her tailbone and screamed as a horrible pain ripped through her mid-section. "Get him off of me!" Elizabeth screamed as Mr. Simpson ran into the yard just as Terry and Willie ran over to the woman on the ground.

"Charlie, no!" The old man cried out as he grabbed Charlie by the collar and pulled him off of the still screaming woman on the ground.

Terry and Willie wrenched her to her feet as Mike came running out. "I called for a patrol car," he said as he looked over at Jennifer, who was lying on the ground, gasping for breath. "Jennifer, are you okay?"

Jill, who was trying to comfort the kids, heard the concern in Mike's voice and immediately looked over at Jennifer. "Jennifer? What's going on?"

"I hurt," was all she could manage to say as she tried to control her breathing.

"Serena, can you take the kids into the house?" Jill asked as she nodded. "Also, can you call for an ambulance?"

"Sweetie, what's going on? Are you okay?" Willie asked as he knelt down by Jennifer's side.

"Make sure you read her her rights," Mike ordered Terry as a patrol car showed up at the scene.

"I'm sorry about Charlie, Mr. Danko," Mr. Simpson apologized. "He's never done anything like that before."

"Don't worry about Charlie," Mike consoled the old man. "You'll have to stay here for a few minutes and give a statement. My partner's on his way and he's going to want to ask you some questions about what you may have seen."

"No problem. Can I take Charlie home?"

"Why don't you wait until after my partner talks to you?" Mike suggested as he looked over at Willie and Jill, who were both kneeling beside Jennifer, whose color was now ashen. The sight of her brought back horrible memories from a night from long before.

"Just breathe slowly," Jill instructed her as she took her pulse, which was racing. "Relax, you're going to be okay."

"This hurts worse than when I was in labor with Thomas," she gasped as they heard the wail of another siren in the near distance. The ambulance pulled up less than a minute later.

Two attendants raced toward them, all business as they knelt at Jen's side. "How far along are you?" One of them asked as he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm.

"Thirty-four weeks," she gasped. "I think I'm in labor."

"Just relax. We're going to take good care of you," the other one smiled as he examined her. "Let's get you to the hospital, okay?"

"That sounds like a great idea to me," she agreed as they lifted her onto a gurney.

"Can I ride with her?" Willie asked as they nodded. "Jill?"

"I'll be right behind you," she squeezed his hand as she got to her feet. "Mike, I'm going to go to the hospital with Willie and Jennifer. Are you going to be questioning her?" She pointed toward Elizabeth, who was now in handcuffs in the backseat of the patrol car.

"Yeah. What about Mary Kate?"

"I'll check on her to make sure that she's okay, but I think that I can get Jen admitted quicker if I'm there," she told her husband.

"Jill, I can stay with the kids," Terry offered. "They're used to me and they're comfortable with me. You go and I'll see to them."

"Are you sure?"

"Ma'am, we need to go," one of the attendants said as she glanced over at Mike, who nodded.

"I'll call as soon as I know anything," she said as she quickly embraced and kissed Mike, and then Terry before following the gurney to the ambulance and climbing in with Willie and the other attendant.

Terry walked into the house where Serena was trying to calm down the crying children. He walked over and scooped up a child in each arm before walking over and sitting on the sofa. "It's going to be okay," he crooned to them as they gradually stopped crying. "Mommy's going to go to the hospital, so that the doctors can check on her. So, Thomas I need you to be a big boy so that you can help me and Serena take care of Mary Kate."

"Where's Jill?" Serena asked.

"She went to the hospital with Willie and Jen. She can get Jen admitted faster and let the doctor know what happened," he said as Mike walked in with Lt. Brinker, who looked over the children.

"Is she okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, they're both just scared. Thank God for Charlie," Terry sighed as Mike walked over and Mary Kate leapt into his arms.

"Yeah, that's what I told the old man," Brinker said. "Danko, let's go talk to our suspect. Let's find out where she's been hiding all this time."

"Are you sure that you have a handle on things?" Mike asked as Terry nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

At the hospital, Jill explained to the head trauma doctor what had happened at the house. "Let's get you checked out, shall we?" He said as she was quickly whisked into a trauma room.

Within 20 minutes, Jen knew that something was wrong by the concerned look on the doctor's face. "Am I going to be all right?"

"You're going to be fine, but I'm concerned about the baby. How far along did you say you were?" He looked at her chart.

"Thirty-four weeks."

"Mrs. Gillis, the baby appears to be in distress. I want to put you on a monitor for a little while to see if the situation improves."

"What if it doesn't?"

"Then, we might have to discuss taking the baby."

"Can the baby survive at 34 weeks?"

"It'll be small and its lungs won't be fully developed, but we have excellent OB-GYN's working at this hospital. I've paged one of them and he'll be down to talk to you in just a little while. So, for right now, let's hook you to a monitor and see if the baby calms down on its own. I'll come back to check on you in a little while."

"Can you ask Mrs. Danko to come in?"

"What about your husband?" The doctor asked in surprise.

"I need to talk to Jill first."

Jill came into the room as a nurse finished hooking the fetal monitor around Jen's stomach and turning it on. "The doctor said that you wanted to see me," she said as she pulled up a chair.

"Doctors never give you a straight answer. I know that you'll at least be honest with me," Jen said through her tears. "He said that they might have to take the baby. What are its chances for surviving? I want an honest answer."

"Honestly, I don't know," she said. "Its lungs won't be fully developed and it'll be very small. But, babies are also remarkably resilient. Preemies surprise us all the time."

"Jill, have you ever been as scared as I am right now?"

"Yeah," she told her friend. "More times than you can imagine. Try to relax and not worry about it. I'm going to go send Willie in. He's anxious to see you."

Jen nodded and closed her eyes as she listened to the faint beeping of the fetal monitor. The baby kicked intermittent in response to the machine. She opened her eyes when she heard William's familiar footsteps approaching her bed. He took her ice cold hand and kissed it. "If they give me something to knock me out, I'm going to be afraid to wake up," she admitted to him.

"Why?"

"Because I'll have to read your face and I'm going to be scared to have you tell me that our baby died," she sobbed. "William, this is all my fault."

"What're you talking about?"

"I've been whining so much about my inability to take care of two kids, when I should've just been concentrating on having a healthy baby. I've been so selfish."

"Stop," he chastised her. "Our baby is going to be just fine. You can't keep thinking the worst."

He was still sitting with her when the doctor stopped in a short time later and examined the tape that had printed out of the fetal monitor. "The baby's condition isn't improving," he told Willie and Jen. "We need to get you upstairs and prep you for an emergency C-section."

"Can I have just a minute?" Willie asked.

"Of course. I need to get the consent forms, anyway," he said as he stepped out.

"Jennifer, I love you," he whispered as he kissed her. "When you wake up, I'm going to tell you all about our baby. Our _living _baby."

"William, you'd better call my parents. My mother can help you with Thomas while I'm in here."

"Okay, I'll call them in a few minutes," he promised as the doctor came back in.

After both he and Jennifer had signed the forms and spoken with the doctor, Willie left the room. A few minutes later, the gurney carrying Jen was wheeled out of the room and headed toward the elevator. "I love you," she said as she reached for his hand as he walked with her to the elevator.

"I'll see you soon," he called as the elevator doors closed behind the gurney.

Jill walked over and slipped her arm around his waist. "Come on, let's go upstairs," she said as she punched the elevator button.

Looking at his friend's wife, Willie not realized how scared and lost Mike must've felt the night of that awful restaurant shooting so long ago.

**A/N: One more long chapter that will wrap everything up. I hope people are enjoying the story.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimers: I still haven't heard from Tori Spelling regarding her dad's estate, so I still don't own 'The Rookies.' If I did, the lives of my characters wouldn't be so angst-ridden. I'm so cruel, sometimes.**

**Summary: The detectives question Elizabeth Smyth as the Gillis' new baby struggles to survive.**

**A/N: I want to thank my friend Gina G. for the help with the NICU information. She gave birth to a 31-week baby in 1982 and the diagnosis was grim. Nowadays, a baby born at 34 weeks wouldn't be considered a big deal, but in 1979, that was very different.**

**This is the last chapter and it's a long one.**

Chapter 10: Answers and a Fight for Survival

"How long will it take?" Willie asked as Jill brought him a cup of coffee before sitting down beside him.

"The cesarean? Not very long. Once they get her cut open, they'll move pretty fast to get the baby out."

"I'm supposed to call my in-laws," he sighed as he sipped his coffee. "Jen thinks her mother-in-law should come down and help take care of Thomas while she's in the hospital."

"Why don't you wait until after you talk to the doctor?" Jill suggested. "Anyway, we've got everything under control for tonight."

"Not knowing is the worst part," he ran his fingers through his thick curls. "I was thinking a little while ago that now I know how Mike felt that night. When he was waiting for the doctor to tell him something."

"Everything's going to be fine."

"How do you know that? How many babies have you seen born this early that actually survive?"

"Not many," she admitted. "But a lot more than I saw when I first became a nurse. Willie, you can't give up now. That baby is going to take every bit of energy that you and Jen can muster to survive. It's not going to be easy, but I've seen it happen. I've seen it happen in babies born earlier than this."

"This whole pregnancy has been so strange. When Jen told me that we were expecting again, I was thrilled. But I could tell that she was less so. She's been constantly worried about how she's going to keep up with two kids. I mean, Thomas isn't exactly a calm kid," he smiled ruefully as Jill nodded in agreement. "It's going to be worse now with a baby with health problems."

"You're thinking ahead of yourself. Why don't you just wait and see what the doctor says?" She said just as the doors opened and the doctor stepped out.

Willie took a deep breath as he stood up. He hadn't been there when the doctor had come out to talk to Mike that awful night so long ago, but Terry had. He'd told Willie all about it, especially that part about wishing he hadn't been there when the doctor had delivered his bombshell. He wasn't sure he wanted Jill with him if he was going to be given bad news. "How's Jennifer?" He finally choked out.

"Your wife is doing just fine," the doctor told him. "She's in recovery now and we'll be moving her to a room on the maternity ward in the next hour or so. You have a baby daughter, Mr. Gillis."

"How is she?" Willie asked anxiously as Jill tried to make herself invisible.

"She's very small, just four pounds, two ounces. But, she came out crying, which is a very good sign. It means that she's a fighter. She's been moved to the NICU. The head of the neonatology unit will meet you up there in an hour. His name is Dr. Jefferson and he'll answer all of your questions," the doctor finished as he turned and hurried away.

"He didn't say when I could see Jennifer," Willie complained as he watched the doctor's retreating back.

"Why don't you talk to Dr. Jefferson first?" Jill suggested. "That way you can answer Jen's questions when she wakes up. By the way, what's your daughter's name so that I can tell everybody when I call them?" She grinned as he couldn't help but grin back.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he slapped his forehead. "Natalie. Natalie Jane after both of our grandmothers."

"Take a couple of deep breaths and go up to the 10th floor. That's where you'll find the NICU," she said as she reached out and tightly embraced her long-time friend. "Congratulations, daddy."

"Thank you, Jill. Thanks for waiting with me. I would've fallen apart if I'd been alone," he said as he hugged her tightly.

Willie went to the men's room to wash his face and compose himself before going upstairs to see his baby daughter for the first time. A girl, he told himself. Now they had one of each. He knew that Jennifer would be thrilled to finally have a little girl that she could dress up and take shopping. He walked over to the elevator and went up to the 10th floor as Jill had instructed him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but what he saw when he stepped off of the elevator was nothing like what he saw in his imagination.

There was the traditional nurses' station with two nurses sitting behind it, but behind them, were two double doors and with the ominous letters **'MEDICAL PERSONNEL ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT' **and then more huge lettering **'STERILE ENVIRONMENT.'** One of the nurses looked up as Willie walked up to the desk. "May I help you?" She asked politely.

"Yes. I was told to come and find Dr. Jefferson. My daughter was just brought up here," Willie explained as the nurse looked at her clipboard.

"Name?"

"My name is William Gillis. They haven't asked me for the baby's name, yet."

"We usually don't ask for a baby's name until we know if the baby's going to survive or not," the nurse said cruelly as Willie just stared at her. "Please have a seat, Mr. Gillis, and I'll have Dr. Jefferson paged for you."

Willie sat down in a nearby chair, not liking his first taste of the NICU. He felt that the doctor who'd performed the c-section had lied to him. He'd led Willie to believe that the baby seemed to be fine. That no longer seemed to be the case. Willie sighed, wishing that Jill was still with him instead of downstairs making phone calls. He didn't like being alone in this strange place where no one but medical personnel were allowed to pass through the double doors with the huge red lettering.

In the NICU, Dr. Richard Jefferson and his team were working desperately to stabilize the tiny baby lying on the table before them. They were trying to thread a central line through the sub-clavian vein, which was difficult enough to do in a normal size baby, but was even more difficult in a baby whose veins were the width of a length of hair. But Jefferson was a pro who'd been doing this for several years now and he knew what he was doing. After finally getting the IV started, they got her started on oxygen before putting monitors at different points on her tiny body. At that point, Jefferson's pager went off. He looked at it before walking over to a phone and dialing. After listening to the other end of the conversation, he said in a terse voice, "All right. I'll be out in a few minutes to talk to him."

"The father's outside?" One of the nurses asked as she continued her work.

"Yes. Make sure that she's in the front row and I want her vital signs recorded every 15 minutes. Also keep an eye on her cranial and abdominal pressures. If they change in the slightest, page me immediately," he said as he left the NICU, stripping off his sterile garments and disposing of them before stepping on a button that would open the doors.

Willie looked up when he heard the doors open. The doctor who approached him looked to be in his 50's. He was tall and wearing green scrubs. Willie stood up. "Dr. Jefferson?" He guessed as the doctor nodded and held out his hand, which Willie shook.

"Let's talk about your daughter," the doctor motioned for Willie to sit back down. "Right now, her condition is extremely critical, but she's stable at the moment. As I'm sure you've probably been told, her lungs are underdeveloped, so she's having trouble breathing. We've placed her on oxygen and we're monitoring everything."

"When can I see her?"

"Oh, you won't be able to see her for several more hours, at least. And you won't be able to hold her for much longer than that. Her system is so very sensitive right now that the slightest touch will send her into shock. Hopefully, if there are no complications, you and your wife will be able to see her sometime tomorrow or the next day," the doctor said confidently.

Two days? Willie felt like punching this arrogant son-of-a-bitch square in the face. Didn't he realize that he was going to have to tell Jennifer something? Didn't he care? "Will she be all right?" He finally asked.

"As I said, right now she's stable, but honestly, her chances aren't good. Less than 50 percent to tell you the truth. And if she does survive, she'll face a host of other problems. Cerebral Palsy, possible mental retardation, delays in speech and development," he said as Willie just stared at him.

"Wow, you paint a real rosy picture, don't you?"

"Well, Mr. Gillis, I just want you and your wife to understand what it is that you're facing. I'm not in the business to paint rosy pictures. I'm in the business of saving babies that sometimes have no business surviving," he said as he stood up.

***MJMJMJ***

Terry and Serena had fallen asleep with the kids. Terry was in Willie's recliner with Thomas curled up next to him while Serena was asleep on the sofa with Mary Kate. They were both jolted awake by the ringing of the telephone. Terry reached out and grabbed it, groaning at the crick in his neck. "Hello?"

"Terry, it's Jill," her voice came over the line. "It's a girl. She's very small, but right now I don't know much more than that. Willie's upstairs right now talking to the doctor. Are the kids okay?"

"Yeah, they fell asleep here with us. I guess we should put them upstairs in bed," he said ruefully. "Is Jennifer all right?"

"Yeah, Willie was going to see her after he talked to the baby's doctor. Have you heard from Mike?"

"No. I'm guessing that he's still interviewing that psycho woman from hell. Anyway, give Willie and Jen a hug from me."

"I will. Put the kids to bed and get some sleep. I'll be home as soon as I can," she said as she ended the call.

***MJMJMJ***

At the precinct, Mike and Brinker were sitting in the interview room with Elizabeth Smyth, who so far hadn't said anything except for psycho babble. They weren't sure if it was all a very convincing act or if she truly was crazy. Mike suspected that it was a little bit of both. He didn't care. He was tired and he was worried about his friend's wife. Elizabeth's attorney was sitting at her side, but he was as stymied as the detective's. "Get her out of here," Brinker waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe she'll be more willing to talk to us after she's spent some time in a jail cell."

"But detective, if she's truly ill, maybe she should be hospitalized," her attorney argued.

"She's not 'truly ill,'" Brinker scoffed. "That's what she wants us to think. Believe me, a day or two in a jail cell with women who are truly crazy will loosen her tongue."

Brinker left the interview room as a uniformed officer came in and led Elizabeth away. Mike followed him to his desk. "What if she is crazy?" Mike asked his partner.

"Do you know about the M'Naghten Rule, Danko? It's the basis for the insanity defense. It all comes down to one basic question. Did the person know that what they were doing was wrong?"

"But what if she really thought that Mary Kate was Grace? I've seen pictures of Grace, Steve, and I've lived around my daughter her whole life. There were a lot of similarities. If I were crazy, I might think they were one and the same."

"She almost killed your daughter and your best friend's wife and you're defending her?"

"No, I'm not defending her. I'm just thinking that maybe it's a case of mad, not bad. Maybe something in her just snapped."

"You know what, Danko? I'm tired and I'm not in the mood to hear any more. Go home and get some sleep. We'll meet up here in the morning and try to talk to the mad hatter again."

***MJMJMJ***

Back at the hospital, Willie slipped into Jennifer's room and closed the door. He glanced at his watch. It was just after three in the morning. The baby had been born sometime before 10 p.m. the night before. He quietly pulled up a chair and sat at his wife's bedside as he took her hand. She stirred and opened her eyes. "What time is it?" She whispered.

"Almost three. How do you feel?"

"Tired," she slurred as she fought to keep her eyes opened. "A little sore. Thirsty. Could I get some water?"

"Sure," he poured her a cup of water from the pitcher at her bedside and helped her sit up to drink some of it, as she winced from the effort.

"The baby's dead, isn't it?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"No," he quickly answered her. "No, she's not dead. She's upstairs in the NICU. The doctor said we can probably see her tomorrow."

"She? A girl?" She smiled happily as he couldn't help but smile back. He didn't have the heart to tell her everything that the doctor had told him. At least not until she was stronger. "Have you seen her yet?"

"No, not yet. They were still working on her. I'll see her with you later today," he repeated as she watched his face.

"William, there's something that you're not telling me. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he quickly assured her. "Get some rest and we'll go and see the baby later."

"Natalie," she corrected him. "She's not 'the baby,' anymore."

"Okay. Natalie," he said as he squeezed her hand. "I'll call your parents when I get home. I'll ask your mother to come out for a couple of weeks to help take care of you and Thomas until you're back on your feet."

"How much did she weigh?" She asked sleepily.

"A little over four pounds," he said as she made a face. "I know that it's tiny compared to Thomas the tank."

"She's the size of one of Mary Kate's baby dolls."

With that, she drifted back to sleep. Willie sat there for several more minutes before getting up and leaving. There was nothing more for him to do but go home. Jill had checked in with him shortly before he'd visited Jen, but he'd sent her home. There was no need for her to wait with him and hold her hand any longer. He figured that he'd fill everybody in later today on what the doctor had told him. Remembering that his car was at home, he called for a cab and took it back to the house. Walking quietly into the house, he locked the door before going upstairs to check on Thomas, who was sound asleep in his own bed. Walking next door to the guest room, he walked over and shook Terry awake. "Where's Serena?" He asked, surprised that she hadn't stayed with him.

"I sent her home," Terry mumbled sleepily as he tried to wake up. "Jill came by and picked up Mary Kate about an hour ago. How are Jen and the baby?" He asked as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Jen was sleeping when I left. I'll fill everybody in on the baby's condition in the morning. I need to get home sleep. I have to call my mother-in-law in the morning which is something that I'm not looking forward to," he groaned as he rubbed his face.

"I'll let myself out," Terry said as he got up and pulled his shirt over his head.

Back at the Danko's, Jill had carried Mary Kathryn into the house and upstairs to her room where she changed her diaper and put her into pajamas without waking her up. As she was changing her, she detected several bruises on the baby's arm, the result of being tugged back and forth between Jennifer and that crazy woman. She put her into bed and covered her as Mary Kathryn rolled onto her stomach with her little butt up in the air and stuck her thumb into her mouth. Smoothing her dark curls, Jill covered her with a blanket before going into hers' and Mike's room, surprised to find her husband in bed asleep. She put on a nightgown before getting in bed and slipping her arms around his waist. He sleepily rolled over and pulled her into the warmth of his body, his lips grazing her hair. "What time is it?" He asked as his lips blazed a trail down her neck.

"Late," she whispered. "I thought that you'd still be interviewing Elizabeth Smyth."

"No, she's playing psycho. We're going to try again later today," his hands slipped under her gown as she bit back a groan. "How are Jen and the baby?"

"I'll tell you later," she whispered as she turned toward him in the darkness and kissed him. "I love you, Mike."

***MJMJMJ***

Willie was jolted awake only a few hours later by Thomas bouncing on the side of the bed. He looked over at the alarm clock. It was barely eight o'clock. He groaned as he sat up, feeling as if he'd been run over by a truck. "Where's mommy?" Thomas asked as he continued bouncing on the bed.

"Stop doing that," Willie ordered him. "I have to call grandma."

"Where's mommy?" The little boy asked more plaintively this time.

"She's at the hospital with your new baby sister," Willie announced to his son, who looked less than pleased with the news.

"I thought mommy wasn't having the baby until _after _my birthday. It isn't my birthday yet," he reminded his father.

"What can I say? It came early," Willie said grumpily as he reached for the phone. "If you can go and get dressed, I'll let you talk to grandma when I'm done talking to her."

"Is she coming to see me?" The little boy asked excitedly as he jumped up and down on the bed again.

"Thomas, stop! Go get dressed and you can talk to her," he pointed toward the door.

The phone in Ohio rang several times before it was finally answered by Elaine Howard, Jennifer's mother and one of Willie's least favorite people on the planet. "Hello?" The older woman answered.

"Elaine, it's William. I have some news about Jennifer. I don't want you to be alarmed, but she had the baby last night."

"Already?" Mrs. Howard gasped. "I thought that she wasn't due until the first of November."

"She wasn't. It's a long story, but she had to be delivered by emergency c-section last night. You have a new granddaughter," he added cheerfully, knowing that the lady tended to be the harbinger of doom where her daughter was concerned.

"Oh William, I'm so sorry. I know how badly you and Jennifer wanted another baby," she started sobbing.

"Elaine, the baby's doing just fine," he lied because right now nothing was further from the truth at the moment. "But I have a favor to ask. Jennifer's going to be in the hospital for several days and I have to work. I need help with Thomas. Could you possibly come?"

"Oh of course. I'll get packed and catch the first flight that I can today. I'll call you later today with the flight information. Are you sure that everything's all right, William?"

"Yes. I just need help with Thomas. Call as soon as you get your information and I'll pick you up at the airport. Thomas wants to talk to you," he handed the receiver out to his son, who had all of his clothes on backwards.

After letting his son talk to his grandmother for a few minutes, Willie took the phone from him and hung up before removing Thomas' clothes and dressing him correctly. "Where are your shoes?" He asked as he looked at his son's bare feet.

"I don't know."

"Go find them and some socks and I'll make you breakfast."

"Is grandma coming today?" He ran after his father. "Is she bringing presents?"

"She'll be here later today. Go find your shoes," Willie repeated as he went downstairs.

When Mike went outside to get the morning paper, Mr. Simpson came across the street to meet him, leading Charlie by his leash. "Good morning, Mr. Danko. How are Mary Kate and Mrs. Gillis this morning? That lady didn't hurt them, did she?"

"Mary Kate's fine and Jennifer will be. I think that we all owe Charlie a steak dinner," he smiled as he knelt down and ruffled the dog's neck as the front door opened.

"Charlie!" Mary Kate cried out as she ran outside in her pajamas and threw her arms around the dog's neck.

"I told you that he'd protect the children if it ever came to that," the old man said as Jill came out of the house.

"When can we pick up the puppy?" Jill asked as Mike looked at her and grinned. "He's got to be a great puppy if his daddy is any indication."

"You can pick him up anytime. I've got him all housebroken, so he'll let you know when he needs to go out. I just wanted to make sure that nobody was hurt," he said as he took the dog's leash in his hand.

"Everybody's going to be okay, thanks to Charlie," Jill smiled as she picked Mary Kathryn up in her arms.

Later that morning, everybody gathered at Willie and Jen's house as he explained what the doctor had told him about the baby the night before. "Have you ever worked with the guy?" He turned toward Jill.

"No, but I've heard that he's one of the best."

"He's got to be the most arrogant asshole I've ever met in my life. Maybe that's part of what makes him so good. All I know is I have to tell Jennifer something that falls somewhere between what he told me and what I want her to hear. And I have to deal with my mother-in-law, who's always convinced that the world is going to end at any moment."

"When is she getting in?" Mike asked.

"At three this afternoon. Jill, can you keep Thomas while I go to the airport? It'll be easier to talk to her without him interrupting every five seconds."

"Of course. You didn't even have to ask," she smiled at him.

"I have to go," Mike apologized as he stood up, looking pointedly at his watch. "I'm meeting Brinker at 10 and we're taking another stab at Elizabeth Smyth. Then, I'm going to call Alexandra and let her know that we have her in custody."

"Has anyone called her husband?" Terry asked.

"Brinker called him last night. He's supposed to be flying back into the country sometime later today. I'll talk to you later," he walked over and kissed Jill.

"I also need to go," Willie also stood up. "I want to see Jen before the doctor comes in to talk to her."

"I've got it under control," Jill smiled as she walked over and kissed him. "Give her a hug and a kiss from me and Mike."

Jennifer was sitting up in bed, still groggy but less so when William walked in carrying a bouquet of red roses. He put them on the dresser before walking over to the bed and kissing her softly. "Why didn't you tell me how bad it really was?" She accused as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I take it that you've met Dr. Jefferson," he sagged in his chair.

"Him and some other doctor with a name that I can't even begin to pronounce. All he did was talk about all of the bad things that can happen. He didn't tell me that she could survive without any complications. All I heard was stuff about brain bleeds, blindness, and cerebral palsy, something called necrotizing enterocolitis, which is something to do with her intestines. And the whole time he's listing all of these things, the son of a bitch is practically gloating!" She shouted as she burst into tears.

"I know. I wanted to hit him myself."

"When I asked him when I could see her, he said maybe it would be sometime today. William, if she's going to die, don't we have the right to see her and at least touch her? I want to see my baby!" She sobbed as William got to his feet, angry at how upset she was becoming. This wasn't fair!

"You know what? You're right," he stomped out of the room and immediately went to the elevator, punching the button for the 10th floor when he stepped inside. When he got off of the elevator, he walked up to the nurses' station. "I want to see Dr. Jefferson," he demanded as the nurse looked up from her work.

"And you are?" She stared at him.

"William Gillis. My daughter was transferred up here late last night."

"Oh yes. The Gillis baby," the nurse confirmed as she picked up the phone. After speaking for a few minutes, she hung up and looked at Willie. "The doctor will be right out."

Five minutes later, Dr. Jefferson emerged from somewhere with another doctor at his side that Willie had never seen before, but he figured that he must be the other doctor that Jennifer had been talking about. "How may I help you, Mr. Gillis?" Dr. Jefferson asked, as he didn't even bother to introduce his colleague.

"Why didn't you wait until I came back up here before you talked to my wife?"

"Mr. Gillis, let's face some facts, shall we? The sooner that your wife learns the reality of the situation, the better off everybody is going to be," the doctor stated coldly.

"You act like there's no hope."

"As I told you earlier, Mr. Gillis, your daughter's . . . "

"Natalie. Her name is Natalie," Willie angrily corrected him.

"Your daughter's chances of survival hover at around 50 or 60 percent. It will be many weeks before she'll be able to leave here, if she survives that long. At this point, her survival is literally minute to minute."

"We want to see her," Willie stuck his chin out stubbornly as he stared at the two doctors. The other doctor had yet to say one word to him. "Today. Now, as a matter of fact. My wife doesn't want Natalie to die without knowing that someone loved her."

"Your wife is recovering from major surgery," the second doctor finally spoke, also in a clipped British accent. From the accent, Willie took him to be a native of India or maybe Pakistan.

"She wants to see her daughter," Willie repeated.

"Very well," Dr. Jefferson sighed in irritation. "We'll have someone come and get your wife and you can see your daughter in the next hour." With that, he and the other doctor turned on their heels and left.

An orderly came down to help Jennifer into a wheelchair and he wheeled her up to the 10th floor where she met William. Dr. Jefferson came out of the NICU and looked at both of them. "This is a sterile environment. You'll both have to wear gowns, masks, hair coverings, gloves, and shoe guards. You'll have to thoroughly scrub before you go in and when you leave. You can see your daughter, but you cannot touch her. It will send her system into shock and alarms will go off. If you touch anything outside of your daughter's incubator, you will have to leave and scrub up again. Do you both understand?"

"We're not idiots, doctor," Jennifer said in a tight, cold voice.

After scrubbing and then donning the sterile garments, they went into the NICU. The first thing they noticed was the noise level. It was deafening. Monitors were beeping all around them and lights were flashing on these monitors, creating an atmosphere that felt psychedelic. There were approximately 20 incubators in the small room, many of them occupied, but those that were contained babies that were obviously very ill. Willie and Jennifer noticed parents around some of these incubators. The orderly wheeled Jen in front of an incubator in the front row. The card in back of the incubator read 'Baby Girl Gillis' and listed both her date of birth, birth weight, and length. Her name was conspicuously absent. "Why isn't her name on the card?" She asked William. "I told you to fill out her birth certificate."

"They don't put their names on the card until they're sure that they're going to live," a woman in the row behind them said. "Your baby is among the sickest here. She's the only one in the front row. That's where they put the worst ones. My baby was there when he was born."

"How long has he been here?" Jen asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Almost two months. He's going to graduate soon. That's when they move them to the regular nursery. He weight almost five pounds. They told me he wouldn't live, but he fooled all of them," she boasted proudly.

Jennifer didn't say anything more. She looked into the incubator at the tiny baby lying there. She didn't look anything like what Thomas had looked when he was born. The nearest Jennifer would describe her to friends was she looked like a spider monkey. Her arm was so tiny that her wedding ring would probably fit around it up to the shoulder. Her skin was a mottled reddish color and translucent. She felt like she could see every vein. There was an IV coming out of her upper chest, near her neck and there were white discs covering her head and chest with wire leads coming out of them. "Why are there so many of those white things on her?" She asked one of the nurses walking by.

"Those are monitors. We have to monitor everything on her," the nurse quickly explained as she rushed by.

"Even her head?" Jennifer was confused.

"It measures intracranial pressure," the woman behind them explained. "Preemies are prone to brain bleeds. My Christopher had a level three brain bleed when he was eight days old."

"Is that bad?" William piped in.

"Well, not as bad as a level one. But they said he'll probably be slow to learn. I don't care. I'm just glad to have him live," she smiled. "Don't look so confused. Before too long, you'll be explaining things to other parents. The doctors and nurses don't tell you squat," she said as she lowered her voice.

"She's so tiny," Jennifer whispered, longing to reach in and just touch her tiny hand. But she didn't want to stress her out and make these people mad at her. She had a feeling that if you angered these people, they didn't let you come back.

William just stood there staring into the incubator. He watched her tiny chest moving up and down rapidly, as if she was struggling for every breath. An alarm started going off, startling both of them. A nurse came rushing over and lifted the cover on the incubator. After checking on the baby and adjusting a few settings, the alarm went silent. "Is she okay?" He asked.

"She's fine," the nurse assured them as she closed the cover. "Alarms go off in here all of the time. Often they don't mean anything."

"I'm getting tired," Jen suddenly announced as she looked up at William. "Can you take me back to my room?"

William asked the nurse to summon an orderly, who came and wheeled her back to her room and helped her back into her bed as he pulled up a chair. "Your mother's arriving this afternoon."

"How'd she take the news?"

"The way she usually takes everything. Like she's Chicken Little and the sky is falling."

"Natalie didn't look so bad," she told him. "I mean, she looks more like a monkey than a newborn, but she didn't look as scary as I thought she would. What did you think?" She looked at him.

"She did look a little funny," he admitted. "But that baby behind her looked like a normal newborn now, so I'm sure she'll look the same in a few weeks. She sure looks different than Thomas," he grinned.

"That's because Thomas was a tank like his daddy," she smiled sleepily. "I'll be glad when she doesn't have all of those wires and tubes sticking out of her everywhere. It makes her look like a lab experiment," she shuddered at the memory.

***MJMJMJ***

Elizabeth Smyth looked smudged and disheveled following her night in jail. She now sat across from Mike and Lt. Brinker with her attorney at her side. Her hair was scraggly and hanging in her face. "Are you ready to talk to us?" Brinker asked.

"Will you give my daughter back if I do?" She asked as she shoved her hair out of her face.

"That little girl that you attacked last night _isn't _your daughter," Brinker told her. "We found your daughter in a freezer back in June. Do you remember that?"

"But she came back," Elizabeth insisted as the three men stared at her in stunned disbelief. "When I saw her in court that day, I knew that it had worked. I told my mother that she should've had daddy frozen, so that he could come back, too."

Listening to her, it was clear that she'd completely descended into full-blown madness. Mike knew that it wasn't an act. She was clearly 51/50. "Why'd you freeze Grace?" He asked.

"Because I got tired of her constant screaming!" She shouted as she pulled at her hair. "I told him that I never wanted a kid! My mother told me that Grace was payback for being such a rotten kid! I wanted to send her away, but no school would take her because of her damn heart! I knew that if I froze her, that there was a chance that she could come back and be normal. Then I saw her that day with those other people and I knew that my prayers had been answered. I don't know who gave her to those people, but she wasn't theirs. She was mine," she punctuated the last sentence by poking at her chest.

"May I speak to you gentlemen?" The attorney asked as they left the room, where they were met by the D.A., who'd been watching the interview through the one-way mirror. "It's clear that my client is extremely disturbed."

"That may be so now, but how disturbed was she when she injected that child and waited for her to suffocate before she placed her in that freezer?" The D.A. asked. "I want her evaluated by a psychiatrist before I decide how to proceed. For now, she stays in jail."

"How's your daughter, Sergeant?" The attorney asked Mike.

"She has bruises all over her arm from where she was pulled by your client. Thankfully she's at the age where she forgets things quickly," Mike said as he turned to walk away. He walked over to the phone and dialed the number of Alexandra's foster parents. He was surprised to find her home from school. Her foster mother put her on the phone. "Alexandra, it's Sgt. Mike Danko. I just wanted to let you know that we have Elizabeth in custody."

"I know. Maggie called me earlier. She said that she heard it on the news. She said that she'd heard that Jennifer had gotten hurt. Is that true?"

"Yeah, but she's going to be fine. She had the baby last night, though. A little girl," Mike added. "How are you doing?"

"I'm leaving for London sometime in October. My grandparents have a found a school for me and everything. My father is transferring to his firms London offices, so I'll be seeing him a lot more often."

"That's terrific. You'll have to come and visit us before you leave."

"I will. I'm glad that you caught her, Mike," she said as she ended the call.

***MJMJMJ***

Willie arrived at LAX half an hour early to await the arrival of his mother-in-law. He noted that her flight was on time, so he sat in the passenger waiting area to wait. It had been a long day and he was exhausted. He'd arranged to take time off from work until the baby was out of danger, but he couldn't get an answer on when that was going to happen.

He looked up when he heard the flight number announced. He got to his feet and walked to the end of the deplaning area and waited as people began to slowly trickle out of the long tunnel. He finally saw his mother-in-law emerge from the tunnel with a large canvas carry-on bag slung from her shoulder. She walked up and embraced Willie. "How's Jennifer?" She asked as he took her bag. "I have other bags."

"I figured as much," he said as they began walking toward baggage claim. "Jennifer's doing fine. Her doctor said she'll be released in four or five days. She got out of bed to go see Natalie for the first time."

"William, do you really think it's wise to name the baby? After all, how likely is it that she's going to live?" The woman asked as she fell into step beside her son-in-law.

"Jennifer and I wanted her named whether she lives or not," he snapped as they approached the baggage claim area. "Please do me a favor and try not to upset her. Things are rough enough right now."

"I don't want to upset her, but both of you need to be realistic."

"Elaine, I don't want to have this conversation here," he stated in a firm voice.

"Well, we're going to have to have it eventually," she said petulantly as William pulled her bags off of the carousel.

It never ended, he thought to himself as he flagged down a porter, who placed the bags on a cart. The woman never had a cheerful thought about anything. It was constant doom and gloom. It was a miracle that Jennifer hadn't suffered from ulcers while growing up.

In the car driving toward the house, talk was confined to neutral topics such as his job, the weather, his and Jen's friends. "Didn't you say that one of your friends has a child Thomas' age?" She asked as she looked at the passing scenery.

"She's actually almost two years younger. But they play together all of the time. Jennifer even babysat for her earlier in the summer."

"Now do you think that was really wise? Jennifer must've been incredibly exhausted being pregnant herself and then having to take care of two small children," the older woman scoffed.

"We'll drop your bags off at the house and then I'll take you to the hospital to see Jennifer," he said, ignoring her comment. She liked to act like everything was his fault where her daughter was concerned. It reminded him of what Jill had always complained about in her own father-in-law.

Thomas was still at Jill and Mike's, so he wasn't even aware that his father was home. William took the bags into the house and dropped them off in the guest room before getting back in the car and heading for the hospital again, a drive he was beginning to think he could make in his sleep.

Jennifer was up and gingerly walking around when she saw William and her mother step off of the elevator. She tried to brace herself for her mother's critiquing. "Jennifer, do you think that you should be out of bed?" She asked as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.

No 'how are you?' The criticism started immediately. "My doctor wanted me to get up and walk around," she answered as she took William's arm.

"Let's go back to your room," he suggested as he assisted her in walking back to her room and back into bed. "Have you seen Dr. Jefferson and whathisname anymore?"

"No. I'm actually grateful. Maybe you could take mother upstairs and let her see the baby," she suggested as her mother wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What's wrong, mother? She's your granddaughter. Don't you want to see her?"

"I just think that maybe I should wait until she's a little stronger."

"Suit yourself," Jen said under her breath.

"Speaking of the baby, do you really think that it was such a good idea to exhaust yourself by babysitting when you were pregnant? How do you know this isn't what caused you to be into premature labor?" Her mother chastised her as Jen rolled her eyes.

"Mother, you make pregnancy sound like a terminal illness. I know what caused me to go into labor and it had nothing to do with babysitting Mary Kate. I wasn't even taking care of her when this happened."

They had decided not to even tell her about the events of the past few months. It'd just upset her and Jen got enough of that from bi-monthly telephone calls.

***MJMJMJ***

Back at the Danko's, Jill was playing with the kids in the living room when she heard the distant rumble of thunder. "What was that?" Mary Kathryn's eyes were huge in her face.

"That sounded like thunder," Jill said excitedly. "Let's go look outside to see if it's going to rain."

When she stepped onto the back patio with the kids, the sky was filled with dark clouds and the air smelled heavenly with the smell of approaching rain. It had been a long summer without so much as a drop of it. "Can we play in the rain, Jill?" Thomas asked.

"No, I don't think your daddy would like you playing in the rain. Come on, let's go back inside and play," she ushered them both inside and closed the sliding door.

It had just started raining when the doorbell rang. Jill opened the door to let Willie and his mother-in-law into the house. "Daddy!" Thomas ran into his father's arms. "Where's mommy?"

"Mommy's at the hospital with your sister. I told you, don't you remember? Aren't you going to say 'hi' to grandma?" He asked as he pointed his son in his grandmother's direction.

"Grandma!" Thomas hugged his grandmother happily. "What did you bring me?"

"Thomas Andrew!" Willie scolded his son. "Oh I'm sorry. Jill, this is Jennifer's mother, Elaine Howard. Elaine, this is Jill Danko. She's Mary Kate's mother. I know that this is a stupid question, Jill, but did you have any trouble with him?"

"No, he wasn't a problem. It's nice to meet you," Jill smiled at the woman. "I've heard a lot about you. Mike should be home soon."

"I can't stay. I told Elaine that I'd take her and Thomas out to dinner. I want to go back and visit Jen for a little while this evening. Could I bring Thomas back after we eat?"

"William, that won't be necessary," Elaine argued. "I'll stay with Thomas while you go visit with Jennifer. After all, you don't want to keep imposing on your friends just as you wouldn't want them imposing on you."

Jill didn't say anything but the look that she exchanged with Willie spoke volumes. Had she just intimated that Jennifer babysitting Mary Kathryn had been an imposition? They chatted for a few minutes more before Willie left with his son and his mother-in-law. The thunder boomed louder as Jill went into the kitchen to make dinner.

It was pouring rain when she heard the garage door open almost an hour later. Mike came running into the kitchen as Mary Kate ran up to him, protesting when he picked her up. "Wet, daddy, wet!" She pushed away from him as he began kissing her all over her face. "Stop!"

"Hi, baby," he walked over and kissed Jill. "It's raining outside."

"So I notice," she grinned at him. "How'd it go this morning?"

"Well, I'm beginning to think that Elizabeth Smyth is one French fry short of a Happy Meal," he grinned as he stole a slice of tomato from a plate on the counter.

"So there's not going to be a trial?"

"I don't know, but right now it doesn't look that way. Have you talked to Willie?" He stole another slice of tomato, which he shared with his daughter, much to her delight. Tomatoes were one of her favorite foods.

"Yeah, he was here a little while ago with his mother-in-law. He's going back to visit Jen this evening. I was going to take care of Thomas, but his mother-in-law insisted that she would instead. She didn't want Willie 'imposing,'" she said as she made a face.

"How's the baby?"

"About the same, I guess. Willie didn't say and I didn't ask. I didn't want to upset Thomas. I'll try to call Jen after dinner. Did you want to talk to her?" She looked at him.

"Nah," he shook his head as he shifted Mary Kate in his arms. "I'll let you women talk about babies and how much it hurts to walk after you have them."

"Yeah, well, you can have our next one, okay?" She teased as he kissed her once again.

"I think that even if I could, I'd pass. I'm going to go read the paper."

Jennifer was running a slight fever when William visited her after dinner, so she wasn't allowed to visit the baby. "So, did you get mother settled okay?" She asked as he pulled up a chair by her side.

"Yeah, she stayed home with Thomas. She didn't want me 'imposing' on Mike and Jill."

"You've got to be kidding."

"It's okay. At least Thomas was happy to see her, although he was upset that she didn't bring him anything."

"Give it a few days and she'll be buying out every toy store in town. I hope that while she's spoiling Thomas that she remembers that she also has a granddaughter now," she stopped when she saw the look on William's face. It had clouded over slightly at the mention of the baby. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he kissed her hand. "I just think that maybe we should wait until things look brighter before we start talking about baby gifts."

"Now you're beginning to sound like that stupid doctor and my mother!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to see things realistically. I just don't see the point of buying a bunch of baby stuff right now. For one thing, it could be two months or more before she does come home. You heard what that lady in there said earlier. Her son has been here for two months and is just now being moved to the regular nursery."

"I know in my heart," she placed her hand on her chest, "that everything's going to be okay. I know that it's going to be rough, but everything's been rough since the day we met. Why should this be any different?"

"I wish that I had your confidence."

"So do I," she whispered sadly.

Jennifer visited her newborn daughter diligently as often as she could during the five days that she was in the hospital. She was saddened that William didn't visit with her as often as she'd like for him to. She was scheduled to leave the hospital the next day and it upset her to have to leave Natalie behind in this room full of fear and uncertainty. But this particular day she was pleasantly surprised to see that Natalie no longer had the ventilator tube sticking out of her tiny mouth. Instead, she had tiny oxygen prongs sticking out from under her nose. She motioned to one of the friendlier nurses who worked the unit. "Is Natalie better? I notice that she doesn't have the breathing tube, anymore."

"The doctors don't like to leave the babies dependent on the vent for too long because it can cause further damage to their lungs. So they try to wean them off of the vent as soon as possible. Today was the first day that they were successful in keeping her off of it. She still has a huge hill to climb," the nurse walked away to tend to the other babies.

In the last couple of days, Natalie had been opening her almost transparent eyelids when she heard her mother's voice. She opened them now and seemed to stare at Jennifer with the unfocused eyes of a newborn. She longed to touch her, but she'd heard the shrillness of the alarm when another parent had dared to reach through to touch their baby just a couple of days earlier. Needless to say, the nurses hadn't been pleased and had admonished the parents to please keep their hands outside of the incubator. "How old is your baby?" She heard a voice near hers.

She turned to find a woman about her age sitting beside the incubator next to Natalie's. "She's five days old. How old is your baby?"

"Two weeks old tomorrow. She's just now starting to make progress. I just want her to make it until graduation day."

'Graduation Day' was the magical day when these precious babies that had been born too soon could move into the regular nursery, one step closer to going home with their families. All of the parents longed for that day, but many of them never saw it. In just a few days, Jen had learned not to befriend the other parents, because often she'd come in to find that another baby had died. She'd told Jill on the phone a few nights before that the NICU nursery felt like the most hopeless place on earth.

***MJMJMJ***

Mike was sitting at his desk when his phone rang. "Danko!" He barked into it, imitating his partner.

"Sgt. Danko, this is Anderson Rush," Mike recognized the name of Elizabeth Smyth's attorney. "My client would like to speak to you."

"I don't know that I have anything further to say to your client," Mike said as he looked across the aisle to Brinker, who was motioning for him to tell him what was going on. "Hold on, Mr. Rush." He covered the receiver with his hand. ""It's Anderson Rush. Elizabeth Smyth wants to see me."

"Sgt. Danko?" Mr. Rush called out as Mike came back on the line. "She'd still like to speak to you. Could you come to the jail this afternoon?"

"I'll be there at three o'clock," Mike glanced at his watch. That was just over two hours away.

"Okay and Sgt. Danko, she just wants to talk to you. She has no desire to see your partner," the lawyer said as the call ended.

"I'm meeting Elizabeth Smyth at three o'clock," Mike said as he hung up the phone. "Sorry boss, but I have to leave you at home."

"She doesn't like me, huh?" Brinker grinned. "I guess that I didn't show her enough of my award-winning personality."

"I guess not," Mike chuckled as he went back to his paperwork.

"How's Officer Gillis' wife, by the way?"

"She's doing great. She's coming home sometime today."

"It must be hard for them to have to leave the baby there," Brinker mused out loud. "Do they have any idea how much longer she'll be in the hospital?"

"They don't know. It's day to day right now. Jill said it could be weeks or months."

At the Gillis', William opened the door for Jennifer, who slowly walked into the house. Thomas started to run to his mother, only to be stopped by his grandmother's hand on his arm. "Mommy doesn't feel good," she told the little boy who looked at his mother with a trembling lower lip and huge brown eyes full of tears.

"It's okay, mother. I missed him," she felt like sobbing as she opened up her arms and Thomas ran into them. She winced as he hugged her a little tighter than she would've liked, but she'd missed him so desperately that she ignored the pain. She walked over to William's recliner and carefully eased into it. "William, can you bring me my bag? Thomas, have you been a good boy for grandma?" She asked as the little boy solemnly nodded. "Daddy and I brought you a present."

"What is it? What is it?" He jumped up and down.

"This is from your baby sister, Natalie," she pulled out a t-shirt that said 'I'm the Big Brother' in huge letters. Thomas wasn't impressed with the shirt, but he liked the next gift, which was a new package of toy soldiers for his huge collection. "This is from me and daddy for being such a big boy while mommy was in the hospital."

"Look, daddy! Infantry!" Thomas showed the soldiers to his father.

"How do you know these things?" William glanced at his wife, who just shrugged.

"Mike told me. Can you open them?"

"Do you really think it's a good idea to let Thomas play with toys that advocate war?" Elaine asked with a grimace on her face.

"Why not? My brother and I had toy soldiers and we turned out fine," William said as he opened the package for his son.

"Thomas, how would you like to go play with Mary Kate tomorrow?" Jen looked at her son, who nodded happily.

"Jennifer, you've just come home from the hospital. You should rest," her mother chastised her.

"I want to play with Mary Kate," Thomas pouted.

"You will tomorrow. Go play with your soldiers," she said as she kissed him before he scampered off to his room.

"I honestly don't know why you asked me to come and help you with Thomas if you're not going to rest," her mother left the room in a huff.

"I don't either," Jen whispered under her breath as William sat on the sofa and looked at her. "Has she been like this all week?"

"Actually, today's been a good day. Today, Thomas has actually thrown more tantrums than her and not the other way around," he looked at her as she rolled her eyes and laughed. "You relax and I'll go talk to her."

William walked into the kitchen where Elaine had taken things out for lunch. "She's going to wear herself out," she grumbled as she put some cold cuts on a plate.

"Elaine, she's fine," he assured her. "It's not easy for her to be home while Natalie's still in the hospital. She should be home with a baby to take care of."

"William, what's going to happen if that baby dies?" Elaine turned to glare at him.

"I expect that we'll grieve and then we'll try to move forward. Don't let Jennifer hear you talking like this," he warned as he turned to leave the room.

"Would you please ask Thomas to wash his hands?" She called out after him.

***MJMJMJ***

Before he left that afternoon to go meet with Elizabeth Smyth, Mike called the D.A. and arranged for him to meet him at the jail. If she was planning on confessing, which is what Mike was hoping, nothing could be done unless the D.A. was present to approve a possible plea deal.

When Mike arrived at the jail, he was shown to a room where Elizabeth Smyth and her attorney were already waiting. A short time after Mike's arrival, the D.A. arrived, as well. "I understand that you wanted to talk to me," Mike sat down at the table.

"You seem much nicer than your partner," she told him. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit with the roots beginning to show in her blond hair, she didn't look any different than the other prisoners being housed in the jail. "I don't want to go to prison."

"Yeah, well, you're going to jail," Mike informed her. "For how long is up to you."

"I don't understand what you mean," she said innocently as Mike looked over at the D.A.

"What he means is if you tell us how you killed Grace, maybe your attorney and I can work something out that will let you walk out of prison before you start collecting your social security," the D.A. intoned.

"You mean if it was maybe an accident?" She asked hopefully.

"Mrs. Smyth, the D.A. and I aren't idiots. All of us seated in this room know that Grace's death wasn't an accident. Your husband found the vial of succinylcholine. How'd you obtain it?" Mike asked.

"I stole it. A colleague of my father's works at the children's hospital. He looks the other way when I take drugs from the hospital," she appeared nonchalant as if stealing drugs from a hospital was no big deal.

"Does this colleague have a name?" Mike asked.

"I'd rather not get him involved."

"He's already involved," the D.A. jumped in. "This is a man who took an oath to save lives and instead he lets people steal things from the hospital's drug locker. Is this a doctor that you'd want taking care of your child?"

The last statement made Mike take pause. He knew from his and Brinker's investigation that Grace had been cared for at the children's hospital. He made a mental note to call Brinker when he was finished here. "When did you make the decision to kill Grace?" He asked.

"I think that it was after I fired Paloma."

"Why'd you fire the one person who knew how to take care of her?" Mike asked incredulously.

"She was telling the staff that I was abusing the children."

"But you led your husband to believe that she was still working for you."

"I didn't want him to worry. He always made such a fuss over both of those girls. I was constantly telling him that it's not a good idea to fawn over them. It makes them willful and spoiled."

"You know what's ironic? Those are the exact same words that your mother used to describe you," Mike said.

"My mother always hated me because I was close to my father. She hated him, too. But, she loved adding his money to her own already substantial fortune."

"Let's talk about the morning that Grace died," Mike said, trying to get her refocused. "Why'd you choose that particular morning?"

"I don't know. It was as good a day as any other, I guess," she shrugged.

Mike was finding himself glad that he hadn't brought Brinker along. As volatile as his partner could be, he'd probably have reached across the table and slapped Elizabeth silly. He knew that he felt like doing that very thing right now. He'd never met a colder person in his life. He now understood why some animals ate their young. Her mother should've drowned her at birth.

"What time did you go up to Grace's room?" Mike asked.

"It was late, sometime after midnight. I waited until Alexandra had gone to sleep. She'd always stay up late reading," she made reading a book sound like a mortal sin.

"Did Grace wake up when you entered the room?"

"No. If she'd awakened, she would've started crying. She had a cry that went straight up your spinal cord," she shuddered in remembrance. "I got the vial of succinylcholine and the syringe and walked up to her bed. She opened her eyes when I stuck the needle in her arm, but by then the drug had already started working."

"How long did it take for her to die?" Mike asked, dreading the answer to his question. Mary Kate was the most precious thing in his life besides Jill and the thought of hurting her was incomprehensible to him.

"I don't know. Probably about five minutes."

"What happened after you made sure that she was dead?"

"I wrapped her in the quilt from her bed and carried her downstairs to the garage where the freezer was. I put her in it and closed the lid."

"What'd you tell Alexandra when she woke up and wanted to know where Grace was?"

"I lied and told her that I'd had to take her to the emergency room. I'd had to take her on several occasions before, so she had no reason to doubt me."

"When did you call Brad Rogers to help you move the freezer to the storage unit?"

"Later that morning after Alexandra had gone upstairs with her tutor. I told him not to come to the house until after five because I didn't want the freezer delivered until close to closing time."

"When did you rent the unit?"

"A few days before Grace died."

"I have one more question," Mike folded his hands in front of him on the table. "Were you also planning on killing Alexandra?"

"I don't know. I think Alexandra had learned to keep her mouth shut and to stay out of my way. I can't say what would've happened if she hadn't continued doing that."

"So, what're we talking about here?" Mr. Rush asked the D.A.

"Second degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and first degree child abuse. Fifteen to life, take it or leave it," he looked at the defendant and her attorney.

"That's ludicrous!" Mr. Rush roared.

"Then she can take her chances with a jury," the D.A. started to rise.

"Wait!" Elizabeth called out as she bent down to confer with her lawyer. "What's the minimum that I'd have to serve?"

"Eight year," he answered. "That's before you come up for parole the _first _time. That doesn't mean you'll get it."

"I can't go to trial. My mother is already bitching that I've caused her enough embarrassment and my husband has filed for divorce. I'll take the deal," she said as her voice quivered.

"I'll have the paperwork drawn up for you and your attorney to sign by tomorrow afternoon. Is that all right with you, Andy?" The D.A. asked Mr. Rush.

"That's fine."

***MJMJMJ***

By late that afternoon, Jennifer's mother was driving her absolutely crazy, so she took Thomas and went over to Jill's as she'd promised her son the day before. When Jill let them into the house, they saw Mary Kate playing on the floor with a black puppy. "I see that Mike picked up Mary Kate's birthday present," Jennifer commented as Thomas ran over to play with the pup.

"He went and got him last night. She's been chasing him all over the house all day today. By the way, his name is Seven," she grinned at her friend.

"Seven?"

"It's short for 'Code Seven.' And, Mr. Simpson told Mike that he was the seventh puppy born in the litter. How're you feeling?" Jill asked as Jen walked over and gingerly sat on the sofa.

"Like I've been beat with a two-by-four, but I had to get out of the house for a while. My mother's driving me insane," she smiled as they watched the kids playing with the frisky puppy.

"I'll put on some coffee. Let's go into the kitchen."

Jill and Jen were soon to learn from Rule Number One in the motherhood handbook. Never leave two toddlers alone for more than a minute. They were chatting in the kitchen when it occurred to them that they were no longer hearing the kids. "Where are the kids?" Jen asked as she got up to look in the living room.

"They might be in Mary Kathryn's room. You stay down here and I'll go check," Jill urged as she got up and went upstairs.

She noticed the smell when she was halfway up the stairs. A sickening stench that was familiar and yet unfamiliar all at the same time. A stench that she couldn't identify. She looked into Mary Kathryn's room, but there was no sign of either child or the dog. The smell was stronger up here and seemed to be coming from hers' and Mike's bedroom. She walked into the bedroom where she heard the unmistakable voices of the two children. She walked into the bathroom doorway and just stood there, not knowing whether to spank both of them or burst out laughing.

The puppy was sitting on the floor staring quizzically up at the two children. Mary Kathryn was sitting in the middle of one the sinks on the double vanity while Thomas stood on his tiptoes on the floor. Both of them were wet and sticky from what had to have been five or six bottles of Mike's aftershaves and colognes. The smell was overwhelming and enough to make you want to pass out. "What do you two think you're doing?" Jill asked as both children jumped in fright. "Thomas Andrew, get downstairs right now!"

"What's going on?" She heard Jennifer's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sending Thomas down to you," she shouted back. "You might want to hold your nose!"

"Thomas, what've you gotten into?" She heard Jennifer scold her son. "Jill, I've got to take him home and bathe him! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it!" She called back.

"Is Mary Kate as bad as he is?"

"No, she's worse," Jill shook her head as she looked at her daughter, who just gave her an impish grin in return as she held out her arms.

"I'll talk to you later," Jen called as Jill heard the door open and close downstairs.

"Smell good, mommy," Mary Kathryn continued smiling as she held out her arms for her mother to pick her up.

"No you don't," Jill disagreed as she walked over and turned on the bathtub, filling it with water. "You're very bad."

She removed her daughter from the counter and quickly removed her wet, cologne saturated clothes and plopped her into the tub. Even after bathing her and shampooing her hair several times, the smell of the cologne lingered. Jill figured that it was just going to have to fade over the next few hours. She was still bathing her when she heard the door leading from the garage into the house open and close. "Daddy!" Mary Kathryn called out happily.

"Babe, where are you?" Mike called from downstairs.

"Up here. I'm giving Mary Kathryn a bath," she called back.

"What's that smell?" He asked as he came upstairs.

"I'll tell you in a minute," she removed the baby from the tub and wrapped a towel around her before carrying her into their bedroom. "The kids took a bath in your cologne and aftershave," she explained as she sat on the bed with Mary Kathryn in her lap.

Mike bit back a grin as he knelt down to play with the puppy, who'd been patiently waiting by the bed for his new playmate to play with him. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but where were you?"

"In the kitchen having coffee with Jennifer. Okay, I admit that I let her out of my sight for 30 seconds, but Mike, she knows that she's not supposed to play in here."

"She's also two years old. She's not going to stay out of anything. Hey, look at it this way. Nobody got hurt," he stood up and kissed both of his girls before leaving the room.

"Are you going to have to set the house on fire before he scolds you for anything?" Jill asked her daughter, not expecting an answer. Instead, she got a grin that was so much like Mike's that she couldn't help but grin back. "I love you even if you are a destructive little menace. Come on, let's go get dressed and then we'll make daddy dinner. Or, even better. Maybe we'll ask daddy to make us dinner."

As Jennifer had expected, Thomas getting into the cologne was _her _fault. "He's a small boy," her mother pointed out the obvious to her daughter as if that thought had somehow eluded her. "He's going to get into things that he shouldn't. That's why you have to watch him every single minute."

"Go ahead and tell me that's why William and I shouldn't have had a second child," Jen said bitterly as the phone rang. "Hello?" She answered the phone. "This is she. What? I'll be there right away."

"What's wrong?" Elaine asked, noticing that Jennifer's face had gone white. "Jennifer, what's wrong?"

"I have to go to the hospital. The nurse on the phone just said that they need to take Natalie up to surgery right away," she was frantic as she searched for her purse.

"For what? Jennifer, you're not in any condition to drive. Call your friends and get one of them to take you."

"Mother, I need to go now! Can you bathe Thomas and put him to bed for me? Tell William to meet me at the hospital when he gets home!"

"Jennifer, stop!" Her mother put her hand on Jen's arm as Thomas stared at both of them. "Call your friends and have one of them drive you. You just had major surgery. You're not in any shape to drive. Here," she held out the telephone receiver.

Jill answered the phone at the house. She listened as Jennifer hysterically repeated what the nurse had told her. "Of course I'll drive you. Wait there and I'll be there in two minutes," she hung up and went into the living room where Mike and was reading the paper with Mary Kathryn on his lap. "I have to take Jen to the hospital. There's a complication with the baby. Can you take care of her?"

"Yeah. When Willie gets home, I'll take her to my mother's and bring him up there. Call me when you know something," he kissed her as she left the house.

When they arrived at the hospital, they went upstairs to the 10th floor. Jennifer walked up to the nurses' station where they immediately paged Dr. Jefferson. She was pacing when the doctor came through the double doors of the nursery. "Mrs. Gillis?" He looked at her and Jill. "Let's talk over here," he tried to direct her away from where Jill was standing.

"No. Whatever you say to me you can say in front of Jill. At least that way I can avoid the doubletalk that you've been feeding me and my husband for the past six days."

"Very well. Your daughter has a hole between two chambers in her heart. In a full-term baby, this hole will usually close before birth. But in premature babies, this hole often doesn't close on its own, so it requires surgery," he explained as Jennifer felt as if she was about to faint.

"When?"

"I've paged the pediatric cardiologist. He'll be up here shortly to explain the surgery to you. Is your husband on his way?"

"He was at work."

"My husband's going to bring him up here as soon as he gets home," Jill quickly interjected as the doctor nodded and walked away.

"That's what I've dealt with for the past week," Jen sighed as Jill led her over to some nearby chairs. "Would you like to go with me to the nursery? I want to see her."

"Will they let me in?" Jill asked as they walked back up the double doors of the NICU where Jen stepped on a button on the floor. The doors swung opened as she led Jill to a sink where they both scrubbed before donning sterile garments.

One of the nurses looked up when the two women entered the nursery. "I want to see my baby," Jen explained as the nurse nodded. She knew why Jen was there.

"Would you like to hold her?" The nurse asked as Jennifer looked at her in surprise.

"I'd love to hold her," she said as they approached Natalie's incubator.

The lady whose baby had been in the incubator near Natalie's watched as the nurse showed Jen to a rocker. She then went over and opened the cover on the incubator and carefully lifted the tiny baby out, wires, tubes, and all. Jen could barely breathe as the light as air bundle was placed in her arms. She lightly touched the top of her head and her fingers as monitors beeped all around her. "They think that she's dying," the woman commented as Jen and Jill turned to stare at her in shock. "That's the only reason they're letting you hold her. They did the same thing to me. Their reasoning is if your baby's dying and they let you hold it, you can't come back and say they wouldn't let you hold or touch it."

Jill thought that it was an awful, heartless thing to say, but she also knew how true it probably was. "I wish that William was here," Jen whispered as she bonded with her baby. "Would you like to hold her?"

"No, this is your time. How much does she weigh now?" Jill asked as the doors opened and Willie walked in.

"Four pounds, five ounces. Her weight goes up and down," she said as she watched William approach. "They're letting us hold her. Come over here and sit down."

"No," he said as he practically backed away from her. "I like seeing her with you."

"She needs heart surgery. We're waiting for the cardiologist. William, please come and hold her. You might not get another chance," she begged as tears filled her eyes. She knew that if she started crying, she'd have to give Natalie back and leave. Tears weren't considered sterile. The only people who cried in here were the babies and they all sounded like bleating lambs.

"I can't," he turned and fled back through the double doors.

"He's been like this since her birth. He might visit her once a day and stay for 10 minutes. I've tried talking to him, but he won't discuss it," she looked down at the baby as the doors opened and a strange man entered. He walked over to where she was sitting with the baby. "Are you the cardiologist?"

"I'm Dr. Hanson," he introduced himself. "I'd like to examine the baby before I speak to you and your husband. So, if you'd please step outside."

Jen reluctantly handed the baby back to the doctor before leaving the nursery with Jill, who smiled when she walked out of the nursery and saw Mike. She walked over and slipped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I need for you to talk to Willie when you get a chance," she whispered as he looked at her.

"Okay," he nodded as he held her.

They watched as the doors to the nursery opened and the cardiologist stepped out, beckoning for Jen and Willie to join him. She reached for his hand as they sat down by the doctor. "As I'm sure Dr. Jefferson has explained to you, Natalie has a hole in her heart. What I'm going to do is repair this hole with a Dacron patch. In a normal sized baby, this surgery isn't particularly dangerous. But it's risky in a premature baby. It's always a risk to put a child of any age and size under anesthesia. I've performed this surgery many times on both full-term and premature babies. I just want you both to be aware that there are risks," he said gently as he looked at both of them.

"What'll happen if she doesn't have the surgery?" William asked as she continued clutching his hand.

"There's still a chance that the hole could close on its own, but your daughter risks suffering from heart failure. This isn't emergency surgery, but I really feel that it should be done now."

"How long does it take?" She asked.

"About an hour and a half. She'll then be in recovery for about an hour, and then she'll be moved back up here. I want you both to trust me. I've been doing this for almost 20 years."

"Successfully?" She asked.

"My success rate is 90 percent."

"What do we have to sign?" She asked as William looked at her. "I want her to have a chance, William. I want to be able to hold her again."

After they signed the papers, Willie took the elevator downstairs. Jill glanced over at Mike, motioning for him to follow his friend. Mike got up and went over to the elevator, hitting the 'down' button. "A doctor who operates on the tiniest of babies must be very skilled, don't you think?" Jen asked Jill.

"I'd think so to use a scalpel on someone who's not much bigger than Mary Kathryn's baby dolls."

"Have you ever been in the operating room when the patient's been a baby?"

"No."

Willie was standing outside when Mike came out. "Jill suggested that I might want to talk to you."

"Jen's upset because I didn't want to hold a baby a while ago. She said that I might not get another chance. I haven't been able to visit her as much as Jen does."

"Do you know why that is?"

"I'm afraid to get attached to her, Mike," he admitted as his voice cracked. "What if I let her into my heart and she dies?"

"Willie, you're Natalie's father. Whether you admit it to yourself or not, she's already in your heart," Mike placed a hand on his friends' shoulder. "Keeping your distance from her isn't going to change that."

"Did you have this same feeling when Jill got shot that night? That feeling that your whole world was about to crash in on you?"

"You have to believe that Natalie's going to be okay. And yes, I did have that same feeling," Mike answered him. "Come on, let's go back upstairs."

Jen and Jill looked up when the elevator doors opened and the two men stepped off. Willie walked over and sat down beside Jen as he pulled her close to him. "I should go call Terry and your mother to let them know what's going on," he sighed as he kissed the top of her head.

But just as he got up, the elevator opened once more and the doctor stepped off. Jen held her breath as he approached them, but she relaxed when she noticed that he was smiling. "Your daughter is quite the fighter," he told them as Jen began sobbing in relief. "She came through the surgery like a trooper and she's now in recovery as we speak. She'll be back up here in an hour or so."

When they were able to see her after the surgery, it was hard to see her with that long incision running down her small chest, but she seemed to look so much better. She continued to improve in the days that followed and it was only a matter of time before the day came when they visited her and she was no longer in the front row.

It was shortly after Thomas' fourth birthday in late October when Natalie finally had her graduation day. Jennifer cried the day she went to visit her and her name was finally on her card in the incubator. Even Dr. Jefferson grudgingly admitted that he was pleased with how well she'd done. Her homecoming date was tentatively scheduled for the second week in November.

***MJMJMJ***

Thanksgiving was a joyous holiday this year. Natalie had been home for almost two weeks and was doing amazingly well. Although still small for a two-month-old, the doctors had assured her parents that she'd quickly catch up with other babies her age.

Everybody had gathered at the Gillis' for a traditional dinner. Natalie was passed from person to person, dressed like a little princess in a frilly pink and white dress with white tights, a pink bow on top of her head. Thomas wasn't overly impressed with his new sister or the attention that she was getting. Mary Kate seemed much more accepting, probably because she realized that the baby didn't belong to her mommy and daddy.

They were getting ready to sit down to dinner when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Willie got up from the table and went to answer the door. He was surprised to find Alexandra and her father standing there. "Alexandra, please come in."

"This is my father, Harrison Smyth," she introduced her father as Willie shook his hand.

"We were just sitting down to dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't," Mr. Smyth apologized. "We're in Los Angeles to visit Margaret for the holidays. We're leaving tomorrow, but Alexandra wanted to come and see the new baby."

Everybody was happy to see Alexandra. They all hugged her and made a fuss over her. She smiled widely as she walked up to Jennifer, who was holding the baby. "Oh, she's so tiny," she breathed as he lightly touched the baby's small fingers.

"Believe me, she's huge now compared to when she was born. How's London?"

"I love it. My father relocated to the London offices, so I get to see much more of him."

"That's wonderful."

"I'm glad that everything turned out all right," Mr. Smyth said as he watched Jennifer with the baby.

"So am I," she smiled as she looked down at her sleeping daughter. "We definitely have a lot to be thankful for this year."

The End

**A/N: I apologize for the length of this chapter. I thought there was one more chapter after this, but I was wrong. Please read and review.**


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